


Out of the Closet

by BrenanaBread



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, Reveal, Romance, Some Canon, Some headcanon, adrienette - Freeform, awkward teenagers, post-reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:13:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7709344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrenanaBread/pseuds/BrenanaBread
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir and Ladybug are forced into a supply closet on the brink of transforming back to civilians. When Ladybug hears someone about to open the door, she makes a quick decision in order to save her and Chat Noir's identities from being discovered by the public, even at the expense of her own anonymity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Senseless

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just want to preface this with I Am Not A Writer.  
> I'm a physics major in college who happens to be obsessed with a show meant for children. Yippee, how many kinds of dork can one person be!  
> I originally watched this show in French, and later watched it in English. I have seen a few of the Korean dub episodes, but everything I use in this story is from the French and English versions. When the shows diverge on names and whatnot, I just pick the ones I like best. I'm sure that's super annoying, but what can I say, I'm a rule breaker.  
> Oh, and I personally didn't used to write it as "Nathaniel", but that's what Thomas Astruc has released the spelling as on Twitter, so that's what I'm using.
> 
> I don't really know what I'm doing, but I've had this plot written out for a while now, and I figured I might as well just let it all out. Hope you enjoy.

“Sometimes, I don’t need to be saved! Sometimes, I need to make my own mistakes and just…just let me figure something out by myself for once in your goddamn life!” shrilled a voice so fiercely, it shook with rage.

“This is for your own good, Mia. I’m just protecting you.” Kim said, trying to placate his younger sister. “He’s nothing but trouble, trust me.”

“You don’t get to decide that! You don’t know anything! And you sure as hell don’t get to choose who I spend my time with.” Angry tears surged from Mia’s eyes as she screamed. Kim reached an arm out to slip around his sister, but Mia smacked it away before he could comfort her.

“Don’t touch me.” Her lowered tone inspired more fear in Kim than her shouting ever could have. “Don’t you _dare_ touch me.” She ran away from her brother, hiding in the locker room of their shared school. 

Everyone in the classroom stared at Kim. He was so shocked at Mia’s outburst, he didn’t know how to react. Alix tentatively approached him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah….yeah I’m fine. Let me just…I’m gonna go look for her, okay? I might be late. Tell Ms. Bustier anything, I don’t care.”

Alix nodded her understanding and Kim sped out of the classroom. Less than five minutes later, as Ms. Bustier arrived and began roll call, a high pitched screech tore through the school. Instinctively, every student bowed their head and pressed their hands tightly to their ears hoping to deaden the waling. A second later, the next screech called out, louder than the first. The windows fissured and students took cover under their desks as sharp debris rained down. Marinette grabbed Alya’s wrist with her left hand, immediately regretting leaving an ear unprotected as another scream ripped through the air.

“What in the world are you trying to do?” Alya practically screamed at her best friend.

“Follow me! We need to get into the hallway or out of the school all together. We can’t risk getting trapped under this falling glass.”

Marinette yanked her friend away from their seats and tried to force her out the classroom door. Alya dug her heals into the floor, attempting to slow down Marinette’s ministrations. Showing off a surprising amount of strength, Marinette forced Alya into the hallway with instructions to get as far away as possible.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Alya asked incredulously as she watched her friend run back into their classroom. Marinette grabbed Nino by his bicep and tugged him to the room’s exit.

“Everyone needs to get out of the school as fast as possible.” Marinette stated, turning around to help more of her classmates.

“You need to get out too!” Alya stepped forward to go after her friend, but Nino gripped the back of her shirt, preventing her from moving any farther.

“Come on, Alya. Going back in there will only make more chaos.” Nino said removing his hand from her shirt to cover his ear again. Alya stared off into the classroom wanting to help her friend, but decided Nino was right. 

After watching Marinette, most of the other students ran to the door, hoping to escape to safety. Ivan scooped Mylène into his arms and carried her to the exit as she was stiff with fear. In the back of the classroom, Nathaniel curled around his sketchbook, paralyzed. Though Marinette was strong, she could only slowly drag Nathaniel towards the door with her one free hand. She hooked her arm underneath his armpit and attempted dashing to the front of the classroom as the screaming continued and the windows broke further. Unexpectedly, Nathaniel’s weight lessened and Marinette could break into a full sprint. Looking behind her, she saw that Adrien had grabbed Nathaniel’s other arm and was helping her shuffle him out of the classroom. After letting Nathaniel out of their shared grasp, Marinette tried to smile her thanks at Adrien, but he was no longer paying attention. Instead, he ran deeper into the school oblivious to Marinette’s protests.

Most of the student body evacuated the school, but Alya forged ahead, her phone out and ready to record information for the Ladyblog. Nino stayed close behind her even as she shooed him away, steering her out of the path of falling rubble with his elbows on her shoulders.

Running to the security of the first floor’s supply closet, Marinette unclasped her purse and quickly transformed. Venturing out into the hallway, Ladybug hoped to spot Adrien as she searched for the akumatized victim. The loud screeches made the akuma easy to locate, and Ladybug ran to the locker rooms, failing to find her blond friend along the way.

Bursting through the locker room’s doors, Ladybug noticed Kim stretched out helplessly on the ground. His palms faced the ceiling, mouth wide in shock. His eyes were open, but unfocused as if blinded in shock. Ladybug stepped into the room and immediately stopped as her senses were overloaded. Her skin only prickled beneath her suit, but her unprotected face burned. A powerfully foul smell assaulted her nose, but when she opened her mouth to breathe, her tongue filled with fire and it felt like her tastebuds were being singed off. Looking around the room, she found a small Vietnamese girl shrouded in brightly reflective armor with hair of fire. The armor was embroidered with charcoal marks which swirled up the front of the costume, settling into a deep indent on the girl’s chest where a delicate locket rested. A large shield was visible on her back, marked with the same swirls that adorned the armor.

“You think you can shield me from the world? You think I deserve to be ignorant of everything around me? You’re not protecting me!” the akuma yelled at Kim. He remained motionless, not even a twitch of awareness that the akuma was focusing her rage on him. “How does this feel, dear older brother? How does it feel being entirely shielded from your surroundings? This is what it’s like being _protected_ from the world. It’s senseless! How does it feel to be completely senseless!” Mia said, continuing her verbal assault.

Ladybug ran to Kim’s side, poised to carry him from the room. As soon as the akuma caught sight of Ladybug, she let out another screech. Ladybug reflexively turned her head to the armor clad villain, making direct eye contact. Immediately, Ladybug’s vision dissolved as a blazing white light blinded her. Ladybug collapsed to the floor, feeling helpless as each of her senses were effectively destroyed by the akuma. Desperately, she crawled back towards the exit, silently hoping she could find the door even though she could barely feel the tiles underneath her hands and knees.

A force grabbed Ladybug around her waist, and jerked her into the air. Too stunned to fight, Ladybug limply folded in on herself as she was carried away from the scene.

“-hear me? Ladybug! Can you hear me? Please look at me. If you can hear me, Ladybug, please say something.” Ladybug’s hearing suddenly returned to her, and she twisted out of a vice-like grip.

Looking up at her savior’s messy blond hair and brilliant green eyes, Ladybug grinned. “Chat Noir, thank god you’re here.”

“Always. Did you get a good look at what we’re up against?”

“I think so. The akuma is definitely in her locket, but I don’t know how we’ll be able to get it. If we’re in the same room as her, she’ll completely obliterate our senses.” Ladybug said worriedly. “How can we fight something we can’t get hear?”

“Maybe we need a bit of luck.” Chat suggested with a wink.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug shouted and pair of heavy, thick goggles materialized in her hands. “At least I won’t be blind” she mused, stretching the elastic around her head and adjusting the goggles over her mask.

“Unless, of course, you’re blinded by my dashing display of heroism.” Chat flirted as he reached to the side of her goggles and tightened the strap.

“Somehow, I think I’ll recover.”

“You wound me, my lady.” Chat staggered back a step and dramatically laid a hand over his heart.

The corner of Ladybug’s mouth twitched up in a smirk before she ran back to the locker room, Chat Noir on her heels. 

Ladybug stepped into the room first, taking a protective stance around Chat as her nose and mouth were once again decimated. Once spotted, the villain lunged at the two superheroes and Ladybug flung her yo-yo in an attempt to tie the girl’s limbs down to her body and immobilize her. The girl quickly held her shield in front of her body and the yo-yo bounced off its surface uselessly.

Ladybug turned her head to yell “Chat, get her shield!”

Before he could move into action, his eyes glazed over and his hands went up to his ears as the akuma let out another blood-curdling scream. Without his senses, Chat weakly called for Cataclysm, but stayed rooted in his spot, unsure where to place his destructive power. Ladybug grabbed hold of her partner and stretched his Cataclysm-laced hand in front of his body. She then wrapped her arms around his middle and flung him towards the akuma, slamming his hand into the shield which rusted and fell away. Letting out a frustrated yelp, Kim’s sister clutched Chat Noir’s forearms and twirled him away from her body.

“Chat!” Ladybug cried as he knocked into the wall. “Mia, stop this already! Kim was only trying to protect you!”

“I’m Senseless!” the villain boomed. “I don’t need protection! If Kim wants to prevent me from experiencing the world, then I’ll return the favor. And you, Ladybug. Why should _you_ protect Paris? We don’t need saving!”

Senseless paused for only a moment before turning and rushing to Chat Noir’s side and grabbing his hand. “Maybe it’s time our city defended itself without superheroes.” She laughed and lifted up his finger, dangerously close to pulling off his ring.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo at the villain, knocking Senseless off balance and giving Ladybug the time she needed to run to Chat and swing her partner up onto her shoulder. Racing from the locker room, Ladybug searched for a place to transform. She spotted Alya near the locker room doors with her phone out, recording. Nino sheepishly made eye contacting with Ladybug and shrugged his shoulders, helplessly. Alix and Max were across the hallway, observing from a more secluded location, as Rose and Juleka peered out from behind a pillar. Looking around, Ladybug groaned in frustration as she noticed at least 30 kids had ventured back into the school hoping to get a closer look at the battle.

Hefting Chat’s weight so he settled more comfortable on her shoulder, Ladybug sprinted up the stairs desperately looking for privacy from the students inquisitive gazes. She turned down a secluded hall but could hear footsteps running up the stairs after her. The footsteps were too far away to have seen which direction she had taken, but Ladybug could feel her luck running out. She burst into a small supply closet and let Chat down. Pressing her ear against the door, Ladybug’s pulse raced as she heard the footsteps turn down her hallway.

“Ladybug, you’re about to transform.”

“I know. Someone’s coming. Chat, release your transformation.” Ladybug begged.

“What? Are you okay?”

“Chat, just please trust me!” Ladybug reached up and grasped her partner’s shoulder with one hand and cupped the back of his neck with the other. She pulled his face down to hers, smashing their lips together. Chat squeaked in shock, his eyes widening even as his lady’s closed. A pink tinged light filled the room which Chat recognized as Ladybug’s detransformation. He snapped his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around her waist, releasing his own transformation. 

The door swung open into the hallway, banging forcefully against the wall.

Marinette and Adrien were locked in a tight embrace, their mouths fused together and eyes shut tightly giving the appearance of two random, horny teenagers taking advantage of a supply closet.

“Adrien?” A confused voice said.

Adrien startled, breaking away from the kiss to turn and blink dazedly at the intruder. “Nino?”

“Dude, I didn’t know you had thing for Marinette! You dog.” Nino smirked at his two friends. Adrien’s head sharply swiveled to stare wide-eyed at Marinette. His Lady.

Holy crap. _Marinette_ was _Ladybug_.

And she had just kissed him.

“I guess I’ll tell Alya to quit worrying what happened to you two.” Nino said with a wink. “She’s gonna be pissed you didn’t tell her about this.” He added, directing his attention to Marinette.

“It wa-was really um…sudden?” Marinette tried.

“Yeah, making out in a supply closet during an akuma attack seems pretty sudden.” Nino said sarcastically. “I’ll just leave you two lovebirds to it.” He grinned and jogged off back down the hallway, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone together.

Adrien stared at the side of Marinette’s head as she studiously avoided his gaze. 

_How could I not have seen it?_ He wondered. _Midnight hair and bluebell eyes? How many people in Paris wear pigtails everyday?_

He reached out a hand and softly touched her shoulder. Marinette flinched back as if she had been stung, but did turn slightly to meet his eyes. Adrien tried to school his features, but he couldn’t mask the hurt that flickered across his face.

“Marinette, we need to ta-” Adrien began as Marinette cut him off.

“We need to recharge and get back to Senseless. Who knows how hurt Kim is by now.”

“Yes. Right.” Adrien dutifully flipped into a professional persona. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some camembert, offering it to his kwami. Plagg inhaled the cheese, and before he could make a comment about the tension between his charge and Marinette, Adrien called him back into the ring.

Marinette brushed crumbs off the front of her jacket as Tikki finished her cookie. Dodging Chat Noir’s glances, Marinette said “Tikki, spots on.” softer than usual. She could hear her partner’s small gasp from watching her transformation, but he was silent once Ladybug stood in front of him.

Squatting to the floor of the supply closet, Ladybug retrieved the goggles from her Lucky Charm.

“Maybe we should ask Nino for his headphones.” Ladybug said as she put some distance between her and Chat.

“They probably don’t cancel the screams that well. He hasn’t used them at all during this entire attack.” 

Ladybug shrugged. “It’s better than nothing. And we really need full use of our arms. “

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran back to the locker room in silence. Chat found Nino hovering protectively over Alya.

“Hey, would you mind if I used your headset?” Chat called out.

“Not a problem, man.” Nino said, removing the black and orange headphones from around his neck and holding them out to the superhero. Chat Noir gave him a grateful smile and squished the padding over his human ears. Though the headphones didn’t block out much sound, it was a small relief to his overly sensitive hearing.

Ladybug and Chat Noir prepared to reenter the locker room. Holding their breath as they burst through the door, Ladybug ran to Kim’s side and tried to drag him into the hallway. Chat Noir went to help her, but she shot him a stern look that made him reconsider his movements. Senseless noticed the disconnect between the two partners immediately and cackled out a series of mirthless screeches. Chat took a defensive pose and trained his eyes firmly on his attacker. As soon as Senseless made eye contact with him, a shocking white light stripped him of his sight.

Ladybug sprinted to the door with Kim, but her hearing was completely gone. Throwing a hand in the air, she called for her Lucky Charm, and was gifted with a large wooden barrel that fell in front of her.

Senseless stalked towards a blind Chat Noir and Ladybug clawed at the top of the barrel, hoping to pry it open and figure out a way to use its contents. Taking Chat Noir’s hand, Senseless once again closed in on his miraculous. Ladybug shoved the barrel away in frustration, letting it ricochet against the wooden bench situated in the middle of the locker room. She threw her yo-yo across the room, watching it tie around Senseless before tightening the string and pulling the villain away from her partner. 

Ladybug jumped across the room to Chat Noir and hesitated before touching him. Startled at the contact, he instinctively pulled away, but Ladybug grabbed his head and pulled him down towards her face. 

Moving the headphones off of one ear, she tried to yell out “Call your Cataclysm. Let me be your eyes.” He nodded his acknowledgement, and Ladybug hoped he could understand her. She couldn’t even hear herself.

Chat Noir reached out an arm, letting inky black magic pool in his palm before cutting it off in his fist. He held out his magic-laced hand in her general direction and she grabbed his wrist, pulling his destructive power to the underside of the locker room’s wooden bench. She dragged his hand along the metal piece that connected the bench to the ground, and, without the necessary support, the seating crashed onto the floor. Ladybug let go of Chat Noir and scrambled to the neglected barrel, lifting the bench on top of the cylindrical structure. She quickly rolled the barrel so it was under the bench’s halfway point, creating a seesaw.

Gripping her partner around his waist, Ladybug threw her yo-yo up to wrap around a beam in the ceiling. Lifting them both into the air, Ladybug swung back and forth above Senseless’s head, teasing the villain.

“Come and get us.” Ladybug baited. “My hands are full. I’m not going to drop Chat Noir, and the other hand is keeping us from falling. Now’s the perfect time.”

Senseless ran full force from across the room at the dangling superheroes. She leapt into the air, arms outstretched, poised to grab the cocky duo as they neared the top of their pendulum swing. Just as she was about to grasp Chat Noir’s leg, Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo, letting it slip away from its perch in the ceiling, and twisted herself in the air so her body was below Chat’s. Their momentum carried them through the air and plunged them towards the edge of the bench. As they landed hard on the wood, dropping their side of the bench into the floor, the other end soared up, smacking Senseless hard in her back and shooting her to the opposite wall. 

After slamming into the side of the room, Senseless dropped to the floor onto her knees, dazed. Ladybug took full advantage of the villain’s confusion, sprinting to her side and yanking off the locket. She stomped it into the floor with more force than necessary and snapped her yo-yo into the air to cleanse the akuma.

After the release of the newly whitened butterfly, Senseless’s armor shimmered away, leaving a clueless small girl in her wake. Yanking the goggles off her face with a hand, Ladybug shoved the bench off the barrel with the other. She gingerly placed the goggles on top of the barrel and gripped its base. She lifted the barrel into the air yelling out “Miraculous Ladybug!”

Ribbons of red and pink light shot around the school, wiping away debris and fixing the damage created by Chat Noir’s Cataclysm. Ladybug’s hearing came back with a _pop_ in her ears, as if she was on a landing airplane. 

Ladybug knew what was common after an akuma attack. She expected a body to slam into her back and arms to wrap around her shoulders. She expected to hear “My lady, it’s so good to _see_ you!” and a fist to pound her own as they chorused “Bien joué!”

Instead, she turned around to face an emotionless Chat.

Turning away from the uncomfortable sight, Ladybug walked over to Mia while searching in the crowd of students for Kim. Beckoning him over with a wave of her hand, Ladybug turned her attention to the akumatized victim. 

“I think you need to talk to your brother.” Ladybug advised. “You two have to work this out.”

“I…I guess so.” Mia said timidly, barely making eye contact with the superheroine.

Kim waltzed over. “Hey squirt.” His hand roughly mussed his younger sister’s hair. “You were terrifying.”

“I’m only a year younger than you, butt head. I’m not _that_ much of a squirt.” Mia whined.

Ladybug laughed at their sibling dynamic, silently wishing she knew what having an older brother was like. She left the pair alone, jogging to the supply closet on the second floor to release her transformation.

Tikki flew back into Marinette’s purse to devour more cookies. A green flash of light in Marinette’s peripheral vision caught her attention. Whipping her head up to see where it came from, Adrien stood in front of her with his head bowed, hands in his pockets. Marinette fast walked past his body, but his hand shot out and caught her elbow.

“Marinette, please. We need to talk about this.”

She wrenched her arm away from him and muttered “Not now.” refusing to meet his eyes as she sped down the hall and out the school.

Adrien collapsed against the wall, dejected.


	2. Communication is Overrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and Plagg are far more emotionally stable than their charges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, leaving kudos, bookmarking, and talking with me! I squeal in glee at every comment. You guys are wonderfully amazing, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

“Come on, time to get me home. I’m starving here!” Plagg whined.

“Yeah, okay. Hide, I’ll get us home.” As Adrien lifted his jacket slightly away from his chest, Plagg swooped into the inside pocket.

Picking himself up off the floor, Adrien slowly began to walk through the hallway and down the stairs. He didn’t want to go home. He felt tired and rejected, but he couldn’t stand the thought of sitting idly alone trying to make sense of Marinette’s reaction to his identity. Did she dislike him that much? Could she really not stand knowing her partner was Adrien Agreste, the boy who sat in front of her each day in class? He knew that he and Marinette didn’t start their relationship on the greatest of terms, but he considered her his friend.

As he walked out the school entrance, he noticed Ms. Bustier crouched on the stairs, comforting some of the younger students. He stopped next to her and politely waited for her to finish consoling a particularly shaken boy.

After a minute, the boy gave the teacher a small smile. He reached out and hugged her quickly, giving a shy “thank you” before running off.

“Mademoiselle Bustier, are we expected to continue our lessons for today?” Adrien asked, hoping she would confirm and he wouldn’t have to wallow in his self depreciating thoughts.

“No, I think far too many students have already left. Just be sure to finish the required reading by the end of the week. Please pass this on to your friends. I know Chloé finds _Le Père Goriot_ an…unexciting novel, but I think she’ll benefit from it more than she realizes.” 

Adrien’s lips quirked up in a small smile as he acknowledged his teacher’s reference to Chloé’s upper class upbringing. “I’ll let them know.

As he walked down the school’s front steps, Adrien called out "Bonne journée" over his shoulder. He briefly considered walking home, but knew his father would be agitated when he discovered his son walked instead of calling for the limo.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his phone and dialed Nathalie’s number. She arranged for the Gorilla to pick him up from the school. For a short while, he waited in front of the school in silence, thinking about the implications of knowing the identity of his Lady. How would this change their relationship? How did he _want_ it to change their relationship?

Marinette was usually so quiet around him. She stumbled over her words and her voice took on a high pitch as if she was talking to a young child or a cute animal. But, in class, her strengths shined. She was one of the few students who stood up to Chloé. She was kind and thoughtful, immediately running to Ivan’s side when he was upset, or Mylène’s defense when the class wanted to move on without her. It reminded him of how Ladybug took the time to comfort the akumatized victims after the battles had ended.

She truly was a remarkable girl.

\----- ~~ -----

Stumbling through the bakery’s front door, Marinette shouted a curt greeting to her mother who was washing down the counter, and ran up the stairs to her room in a frenzy. She crashed onto her bed and buried her face in the pillows.

Tikki landed softly on the head of a large, extended cat pillow. “Marinette, are you feeling all right? What’s wrong?” Marinette groaned in response. “I don’t see how this could have gone any better.” Tikki continued. “He likes you! You don’t have to overcomplicate this.”

“You don’t get it. He likes _Ladybug_ , not me.”

“But you _are_ Ladybug! The mask doesn’t change who you really are.” Tikki’s voice cracked with emotion at the end of her declaration. 

“Why did I have to kiss him? Why did I ever think that was a good idea?” Marinette complained to herself, ignoring Tikki’s argument.

Tikki slid down the side of the cat’s face, coming to rest beside Marinette’s ponytail. She placed a tentative paw on the side of Marinette’s head, compelling the teenager to turn and face her kwami. “You saved your identities. What else could have explained why you were standing in the dark, in a closet, with a _boy_? There are only so many ways to justify that.”

“But what if he didn’t want to kiss me? I practically attacked him! I forced myself onto _Adrien_ , of all people, oh god.” With a blush of added shame, Marinette threw her head back into the safe haven of her pillows. 

Tikki pulled on one of Marinette’s ponytails gently and giggled. “It’s Chat Noir! I really don’t think he had any objections.”

Marinette grabbed the back of her head, burying herself even more from the world. “You just don’t get it. I want him to want me. For me.” She paused to collect her thoughts. Flopping over to face the ceiling, Marinette cupped Tikki in her hands, lifting the magical being up in front of her eyes. “I don’t want him to feel this….obligation to like me. Adrien is so…he’s such a gentleman. I know he’ll say he likes Marinette because now he knows the truth about Ladybug’s identity, but I don’t want that. I wanted Adrien to fall for me because I was enough. Me, on my own. What if…what if we get together and I’m just…I’m just not enough?” Marinette squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as they were overflowing with tears. Small droplets rolled down the sides of her face in a straight line from her eyes, collecting on the shells of her ears.

“Oh, Marinette.” Tikki said worriedly.

Marinette’s eyes popped open, shining brightly with her fears. “He doesn’t know what he wants. How could I let this happen? I knew I couldn’t fall for Chat, and now it’s just a huge mess.” She stared unseeing at her ceiling. “I don’t even know what I want.”

“You don’t have to decide something right away. Eat something, do your homework. You have the rest of the day off, right? Why don’t you ask your parents if they need any help? Baking cookies always cheers you up.” Tikki suggested, hopping off of the platform Marinette’s hands had created and nuzzling into the girl’s neck.

Marinette forced out a giggle. “You’re just doing this for more cookies, aren’t you?”

Hovering in front of Marinette’s face, Tikki reached out and wiped away the tear tracks marring her charge’s face. “I guess you figured me out.”

\----- ~~ -----

Adrien furiously paced his room.

“You’re gonna wear a hole in your floor if you keep this up.” Plagg said, agitated. He lazed on the edge of Adrien’s bed, curling in on himself to settle down for a cat nap.

Throwing his hands in the air, Adrien said “What am I supposed to do? She hates me! And she won’t talk to me. I have no idea how to address this.”

Plagg’s mouth opened in a wide yawn. “She doesn’t hate you. Ladybug could never hate you.”

“Oh, I beg to differ. You didn’t see her face, Plagg. It looked like I completely ruined her.” Adrien fell into an exhausted slump on his bed, jostling his companion. “And what’s worse is I can’t help but want to see her.”

“You could see her.” Plagg stated, annoyed at having been shuffled from his position.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked cautiously.

“There’s nothing stopping you from using your own brain, is there?” Plagg said sarcastically.

“Would you quit it with the wisecracks and just help me?”

“You know who she is. You know where she lives. You have a superhero cat suit. Is it adding up yet?” Plagg laid his head back down, thoroughly exasperated by their conversation.

“You want me to just pop on over and land on her roof on the off chance she sees me and lets me inside?” Adrien asked, incredulous. “She probably wouldn’t even open the door for me.” He whined.

“That’s what cataclysm is for.”

“Plagg!” Adrien shot to the end of his bed and reached out to grab his kwami.

Plagg floated away effortlessly. “You asked for my help, I don’t know what else you want from me. You humans are fickle.”

Adrien sighed and collapsed on his bed again. He rested his head on his forearms and balled his hands into fists. He felt so angry with himself. What could he have done to make her feel more comfortable? Why couldn’t she just _talk_ to him? That’s really all he needed, some time to sit and talk with Marinette.

He let out a puff of air to calm himself, and considered his options. Plagg wasn’t entirely wrong. He could visit her. She might let him in. Or, he could pack some camembert in a bag and take it with him. Then, he could wait out on her balcony as long as it took, even if he had to sit there all night. He could camp out under the stars, detransform to let Plagg recharge, and leave in the morning. It would be a tad creepy, but it would let Marinette know how serious he was about talking to her.

It just felt so _wrong_. He didn’t want to use his knowledge of her identity to his advantage. It would feel like he was playing dirty. Ladybug had never approved of revealing themselves, this was probably killing her. 

Adrien wanted her trust. 

If he wanted their partnership to grow in any way, she needed to trust him. Even if it drove him to insanity, Adrien would wait for her. He loved her too much to drive her away simply because he was overeager. She deserved better than that.

“I’ll approach Marinette tomorrow. At school. I’ll ask to talk to her during lunch or after class.” Adrien said definitively. “I just need a few minutes with her. Just long enough to know if I’ve messed this up beyond repair.”

“How very noble of you, do you want a prize?”

Adrien tossed a pillow at his kwami, which Plagg easily dodged. “Plagg, you little shit.”

“Oh, lighten up. There’s more angst in this room than in one of your Jagged Stones albums.”

\----- ~~ -----

Marinette groggily opened her eyes at the sound of her alarm and blinked in confusion, curious as to when she had finally fallen asleep. And how she had fallen asleep. She tossed and turned most of the night, unable to find a comfortable position, and powerless to quiet her thoughts. Her mind wandered down paths she was too tired to resist. She continually relived the moment she shrank away from Adrien’s touch and the hurt that flickered across his face. She kept thinking about how she pulled her elbow from his grasp and the pain that laced his voice as he begged her not to leave. 

She couldn’t escape.

Marinette stretched out her stiff limbs and threw her legs over the side of the bed. After a short pep talk convincing herself that going to school took precedence over cowering in her room, she stood up and readied herself for class. Even though she felt physically and emotionally exhausted, this was the earliest she had awoken for school in a while, and she picked up her phone to turn off the five other alarms she had set in preparation for morning lethargy. 

She did not expect to see a screen full of text messages and missed calls. Alya had tried her damnedest to interrogate her friend about the closet escapades of a girl who couldn’t talk to her crush in complete sentences five minutes before the akuma attack, yet somehow managed a quick make out session with him without bursting into a stuttering mess.

Marinette groaned and smacked her head with her hand. She hadn’t thought about what she’d tell Alya. Noticing Marinette’s frazzled state, Tikki helped her gather the school books necessary for the day, then dove into the girl’s purse.

Grabbing her sketchpad, Marinette walked down the stairs of her house to the bakery.

“Well, someone’s up early this morning.” Sabine said in a light tone, crossing the room to kiss her daughter on the forehead.

Marinette’s voice was heavy with fatigue. “Yeah, I’m gonna get to school a little early today. Maybe go to the library to get a head start on some assignments.” 

“That’s good, sweetie. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you don’t want to overwhelm that growing brain of yours.”

“I won’t, Maman, don’t worry.” Marinette said, smiling at her mother as she turned to exit the bakery.

“Hey, sneaky girl,” Sabine teased. “Don’t forget to eat some breakfast! It’s important.”

Marinette laughed at being referred to as "sneaky", but went to the kitchen to pick up some fruit for herself and a cookie for Tikki. Giving her mother a final hug, she walked out the door. 

It was early enough that the morning light was soft and warm, coating Paris in a fragile pink hue. Looking across the street at the school, Marinette’s stomach lifted into her throat at the thought of seeing Adrien in class. Instead, she scurried to the neighboring park, slipping slightly on its dew coated grass. Walking through the pathways, she marveled at the park’s silent beauty, amazed at how peaceful it felt without the rumbling of people.

Sitting on a bench facing the fountain, Marinette pulled out her sketchbook and pencil and stopped thinking. Her hand moved of its own accord, conscious mind taking a backseat to her instincts. Drawing whatever came to her, she quickly filled the pages with designs. Puffy winter coats and flowing, lacy blouses. Strappy sandals that wound up to the knee, warrior jackets, and ladybug-printed cocktail dresses.

Absently, she wondered if she should create a Chat Noir hoodie.

She patterned black and neon green patches side by side. She theorized which materials would best resemble fluffy cat fur. In a smaller sketch off to the side of the main drawing, she thought up a pocket just inside the jacket’s front where his kwami could lie. She became lost in her cat themed design, not truly registering what her hand was creating. While drawing the last floppy ear onto her sketch, her phone rang. Checking to see it was Alya, Marinette accepted the call.

“Hi, I’m so sorry I didn’t answer you at all yesterday but I’m just confused and I don’t have anything to tell you yet because I don’t know what’s going on and I’ll definitely tell you when I know anything but I don’t know what’s happening because I really didn’t plan it, it just somehow happened and I’m still reeling from it and ohmygodI’msosorryAlya.” Marinette let out in a rush.

“Whoa, girl, slow down. Breathe. I’m not mad, just a little upset.”

Marinette gulped a mouthful of air. “Alya, I am _so_ sorry.”

“I know, I know. And I understand, but...I had to find out from _Nino_. How bad is that? Come on, Marinette, I’m your best friend. You know I wouldn’t judge you for something like this. I just want to be kept in the loop.”

“It’s not like I secretly told Nino instead of you. He walked in on us! It was completely unplanned.” Marinette’s defense felt flimsy even to her own ears. She should have talked to Alya right after Nino caught her with Adrien. Marinette shouldn’t have let her friend be blindsided like that.

“Okay I get it, it’s just…hey, where are you?”

The change in pace of the conversation caught Marinette off guard. “Uh, why does that matter?”

“I went to your house to go yell at you in person, but your mom said you went to the library early this morning. But, I’m in the library right now, and you are definitely not here. Unless you’ve spontaneously transformed into a self loathing librarian or a shelf of encyclopedias that haven’t been touched since 1937. Oh my god, seriously, I’m pretty sure the most recent thing in these things is the battle of Waterloo. The next topic for the school blog is how much dust these books have collected.”

“I’m actually at the Place des Vosges.” Marinette said somewhat reluctantly.

“Well, get your butt over here! School’s about to start.”

“Oh, crap, I completely lost track of time! I gotta run, I’llseeyousoonbye.” Ending the call hastily, Marinette jumped out of her seat and dumped her sketchbook in her bag. She ran across the street to the school, earning angry honks from the cars she cut in front of, and sprinting through the door right as class started. She avoided eye contact with everyone in the room, dropping into her seat unceremoniously. She sighed in relief at having made it on time, and automatically lifted her head to face the front of the classroom.

Her eyes collided with Adrien’s.

Even though she wanted to snap her gaze away, she felt trapped in his earnest stare.

“Marinette,” he addressed cautiously. “Could I talk to you during lunch?”

Her eyes widened at the request. “I don’t…I don’t think that would be the best idea.” She finally tore her eyes away and stared at Adrien’s desk instead.

He bent his neck, lowering his head into her field of vision, trying to catch her eyes again. “I really think we need to talk. Maybe after school? You could come over to my house, or we could go to the park. Anything.”

Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat and built up her courage to speak again. “I really don’t think we need to talk right now, Adrien. I don’t…I can’t do this today.”

“All right.” Adrien said, slowly turning back around in his seat. His spine was ramrod straight making him look uncomfortably stiff.

After waiting a few seconds, Marinette let out the breath she'd been holding. Determined to concentrate on her coursework, she took out her notebook to prepare for the day’s class.

“But Marinette?” Her head shot up at Adrien’s voice. It sounded fuller, as if suffused with a new strength. “We will have that talk. You can’t run from this forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa there, Adrien. When did you grow a pair?
> 
> Also, I really love that Marinette actually has a giant cat pillow on her bed in the show. It's wonderful.
> 
> For anyone curious:  
> Bonne journée = Have a good day (more-or-less)  
>  _Le Père Goriot_ by Honoré de Balzac is a French novel that I had to read for an English class my sophomore year of high school, so I felt like it would be a reasonable book for French 15-year-old students to read. The novel explores people's desires to obtain a high social status by whatever means necessary and the characters are often greedy and corrupt, so I thought it might be an interesting book for Chloé to read ;)  
>  I have never been a part of the French education system, however, so if you actually know what is commonly required reading in France, I would be extremely interested to know.
> 
> Your comments make me so excited, I love them so much! Seriously, they absolutely make my day.


	3. Avoidance Ballerina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette needs a catalyst to actually deal with her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha avoiDANCE. Let's get with the puns, folks.
> 
> This is my birthday gift to you :D

In a relatively short period of time, Marinette had become the Avoidance Queen.

She twirled away from problems like a skilled ballerina, sidestepping unpleasant conversations with a twist of her yo-yo. 

First on her Evasion List: Alya.

All throughout class, Alya desperately tried to get Marinette’s attention. Alya tapped on the desk out of rhythm and passed annoying notes to her friend which were invariable unanswered. She kicked at Marinette’s chair’s legs and crumpled up scrap pieces of paper to flick into her pigtails. She even incessantly clicked her pen, knowing it usually drove Marinette into a tailspin of frustration. Nothing worked, Marinette remained stoic. 

When their lunch hour arrived, Alya was ready to pounce on her friend for details about what had transpired between her and Adrien at the start of class. Adrien was asking to _talk_ to Marinette. Why wouldn’t she jump at the opportunity?

Prepared to make a hasty exit, Marinette had already packed her bags by the time the teacher dismissed them. Pushing her chair out from the desk, she rushed to stand up.

“Mari, hold up!” Alya called desperately, quickly hopping to her feet. She jammed her hip into the corner of the desk and let out a curse.

“Sorry Alya! I really need to get home and uh help Maman with the bakery!” Marinette tripped down the steps and tried to avoid eye contact with everyone.

“No, you are not getting away this easily, girl! You’ve been hiding something from me.” Alya reached out a hand to grab Marinette’s wrist but was surprised when her friend side stepped out of the way.

“Really gotta go, talk to you later!” Marinette disappeared out the classroom door before her friend could interrogate her further.

“What was that all about?” Nino asked, turning to face Alya.

Staring at the door with a look of determination, Alya said “I have no idea. But I am definitely going to find out.” She straightened her back and picked up her school bag from the seat of her chair before turning her sharp gaze on Adrien. “Do you know what’s going on?” she asked him.

“Uh n-no?” He floundered.

“I don’t buy it,” Alya said, her eyes narrowing at him. “If I find out you hurt her in any way, Agreste, you and I are going to have some serious issues.”

Nino jumped in to defend his friend. “Hey, whoa, calm down. Who said anything about that? Adrien is like, the nicest guy I know. There’s no way he hurt Marinette.”

Alya’s eyes never left Adrien’s. “We’ll see about that.”

With a final glare, Alya waltzed out the door.

Nino stared at the spot Alya had been occupying for a moment before twisting his head to make eye contact with Adrien. “Dude, I didn’t just lie to Alya, right? You haven’t done anything to Mari?”

“It’s…uh it’s complicated. I’m the reason she’s upset, but I didn’t do anything malicious. Stuff just happened and…she’s confused.” Nervously, Adrien lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck.

Nino looked at his friend skeptically. “I trust you, so I’m sure you didn’t mean to do anything bad. But Alya is not going to see it that way. Be careful, okay man?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Adrien placed his hand on Nino’s shoulder reassuringly. “I’ve got this covered.”

“Whatever, girls are crazy.”

“Yeah _crazy_ , huh? Because you, of course, wouldn’t have any feelings for a certain reporter. No, the great Nino is above such mundane feelings.”

Nino blushed furiously. “Shut up! There’s nothing going on between me and Alya.”

“Okay sure, hot shot. Nothing going on, got it.”

“I’m serious! She’s not into me.”

“And you would know that, how? Have you talked to her? Asked her out? Flirted with her a little?”

“No, you know I can’t do that!”

“I absolutely do not know that.”

Nino lowered his voice and checked around to make sure no students were listening in on their conversation.“You were there when I had a crush on Marinette. You know I don’t work that way.”

Adrien refused to follow his friend’s example and did not quiet his own words. “You were locked in that cage with Alya for quite a long time. What happened there?”

Nino smirked slightly. “Okay, there may have been something there. But that was so long ago! And we haven’t talked about it since.”

“See? You just recognized your own problem. _Talk_ to her about it. At the very least you know she was interested in you. Maybe, she still is.”

“Whatever. This isn’t about me. It’s about you and Marinette.” Nino poked Adrien in the chest to emphasize his words.

“I don’t have anything else to tell you. I’m working on it. We’re going to talk, I promise. I don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s all her decision. But I am all in.”

Nino punched Adrien in the arm affectionately. “That’s my man.”

\-----~~-----

Marinette was spending her lunch walking around Paris. Usually, she would go home to the bakery, but she didn’t want to have to tell her mom why she didn’t go to the school early that morning. It wasn’t uncommon for Marinette to get lost in her designs, but she had forgotten to tell her parents that she changed her plans from spending time in the library to drawing in the park, and she knew she’d need an explanation for that. An explanation which, of course, she didn’t have. With so many thoughts and emotions rattling around in her brain, Marinette didn’t think she would be able to handle having to lie to her mom. She felt awful about all the lies she already had to tell her parents just to keep her identity secret. She didn’t want to add her boy problems to the list.

Marinette stared at the ground thoughtfully as she casually munched on a peach. “I have to avoid conversation with basically everyone. How am I going to pull this off? Maybe I should just take a half day and not go back to class after lunch.”

“Marinette! That’s a terrible idea!” Tikki squeaked, sticking her head slightly out of the small side purse she hid in.

“I know I miss school a lot already, but it’s not like I’m going to be able to concentrate anyway. And Alya’s just going to keep bothering me. And Adrien’s going to keep making me feel awful.”

“What on earth are you talking about? He hasn’t talked to you since this morning.”

Marinette stopped to address Tikki.“He’s making me feel guilty!”

“He’s not doing anything,” Tikki reminded her.

“That’s why I feel guilty!” Marinette began to walk again, faster this time.

The pair continued on in silence. It was nearing time for Marinette to start her afternoon lessons, so she began circling back to the school. She knew, realistically, she couldn’t skip her classes for the rest of the day. If she did, she would have to once again lie to her parents, and there wouldn’t be any way they’d believe her. Then she’d get grounded, and there was nothing she hated more than violating her parent’s trust by sneaking out of the house in the event of an akuma attack. At least if she wasn’t grounded, she could pretend to go to Alya’s house or say she was visiting the park or le Trocadéro.

“You’ll stop feeling guilty after you talk to him.”

Even though Tikki was clearly right, Marinette childishly disagreed. “You don’t know that,” she huffed.

“Just talk to him soon.” Tikki stuffed herself back into Marinette’s purse, finished with the conversation.

“Not today. Just let me have today,” Marinette whispered to herself.

——~~——

Due to her speedy walking, Marinette arrived at the school before Alya, Nino, and Adrien. She lined her notebook and pens on her desk in preparation for class before turning in her seat to talk to Ivan.

“Hey, Ivan. How’re you doing?”

Ivan looked up, noticeably startled from Marinette’s question. “Oh, I’m okay. How are you?”

“I’m fine. You looked like you were lost in your own world there, are you sure everything’s alright?”

“Mylène’s just sick today. I went to visit her during lunch, but she was sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb her.”

Marinette felt awful for not realizing Mylène had been absent all day. “That was really thoughtful of you.”

“I’m gonna go back after school. Maybe with some soup or something. And there’s this herbal tea she really likes, so I’m thinking about picking some up before I stop over.”

Marinette broke into a wide smile. “That’s so sweet of you,” she cooed.

“I just feel bad that she’s feeling so bad,” Ivan started. He bowed his head slightly, to stare at his desk. “But, I’m not even all that sure she wants to see me.”

Marinette was puzzled. “Why wouldn’t she want to see you?”

Ivan looked up, but didn’t meet Marinette’s eyes. “We got into an argument a few days ago. She was pretty upset. We haven’t talked about it since.” 

“Oh….maybe you should give her some space then?” Marinette suggested thinking about her own reactions when she was upset. She liked alone time.

Ivan hesitated a second before saying “I don’t think so. We fought, but it didn’t change anything. She deserves to know I care about her. I think she’ll understand why I need to try and make her feel better.”

“If that’s what you think is best.”

“It’s just how our relationship is. Sometimes, we need some space, but we always know when to come back together and help each other. I can’t stand to know she’s hurting. It makes me hurt.”

Marinette paused. Mylène’s unhappiness really affected Ivan. Their feelings were connected to each other. When Ivan couldn’t help his girlfriend, he genuinely hurt. Even though Marinette desperately tried to prevent her mind from wandering, her only thoughts were about how her silence was hurting her kitten. 

“Wow, you guys have a…really serious relationship,” she said quietly.

Ivan’s eyes snapped to Marinette. “We just care about each other. A lot.”

Marinette tried very hard to not think about the person she cared a lot about. 

Just then, Nino and Adrien entered the classroom. Marinette couldn’t help staring at them as they took their seats. Even though she knew it was risky, Marinette chanced a small “Hello Adrien.”

Adrien’s back straightened and he turned his head to peer over his shoulder. He didn’t twist around completely, offering only his profile. “Hey Marinette,” he said, bringing up his hand in a slight wave.

“I think…I think maybe we should talk tomorrow. Or something. Whenever you're available? You could maybe come to the bakery or we could meet at your house _ortheparkoranywherereally_ um yeah….is, is that al-alright?” she asked hesitantly.

He turned to fully face her. “That’s perfect. Whenever you’re ready.” A fleeting smile graced his lips before scrunching into a look of uncertainty.

“Sounds gr-great.” When Adrien turned back around in his seat, Marinette hit herself on the forehead with her hand. She did not understand why she was suddenly stuttering again. This was _Chat Noir_. She knew how to act around him. This shouldn’t be weird.

Alya plopped down in her seat right as class was about to start. Without looking at Marinette, she whispered “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’m here for you, okay?” 

Patting Alya’s arm comfortingly, Marinette smiled softly and whispered back “Thank you.” 

The afternoon classes began and Marinette furiously tried to pay attention. Usually, she doodled in the margins of her notes, but today her papers were clear of any stray sketches. She prevented herself from turning the three holes in the left side of her paper into paw prints and ladybugs. She even refrained from staring at the back of Adrien’s head and wondering how she was going to fix this mess.

She really didn’t deserve him. After the reveal, the only thing he wanted was a conversation with her. If he was upset that the capable, confident Ladybug was actually klutzy Marinette, he didn’t show it. Instead, he’d been caring and understanding of her confusion. He’d respected her boundaries and never pushed her. She felt awful. She had yet to even consider how unsettling the reveal was for him. He _needed_ the anonymity the masks provided. If Paris knew its brave superhero was model Adrien Agreste, he could never fight again. And he trusted her so much! He trusted her with his secret without knowing what their relationship now was. How could she have been so hard on him?

When class finally ended and Marinette said goodbye to her friends, she let her eyes linger on Adrien. She tried to convey through her gaze how sorry she was. After bowing her head in shame, she left the room to run home. Her parents needed her at the bakery this afternoon and she was sure she would be fielding questions from them until the evening rush came through.

——~~——

Marinette stared blankly at the open text document on her computer. It was filled with four pages of failed apologies. They either seemed detached and cold, or so saccharinely sweet and devoted that they sounded insincere. She had so many things to tell Adrien when they talked, so many thoughts and feelings that were running wild within her mind, that she needed to get them out on paper before she drowned in the emotional turmoil. 

“None of this sounds right, Tikki. What am I going to do?” Marinette whined.

Tikki swooped in front of the computer screen. “Just speak from the heart, Marinette! You don’t need fancy rhetoric to tell Adrien how you feel.”

“But I just can’t sort out what to tell him. There are lists of things I need to say! I never meant to hurt him, and he has to know that. I have to make him see that.”

“And you will. Just listen to what he has to say and follow his lead. He’ll understand how serious you are. Chat Noir loves you, Marinette. I’m sure Adrien does too. You have no reason to be so frightened by this.” Tikki flew closer and placed a paw on Marinette’s brow bone. 

“I don’t want to say anything wro-“ Marinette was cut off by a shriek in the distance. “Oh, come on! There was an akuma yesterday, don’t we get a night off?”

“Evil doesn’t take a break.”

“Yeah, well, evil needs to take a chill pill. Tikki, spots on!”

After she transformed, Ladybug climbed out of her room onto the roof, and shot out her yo-yo to carry her towards the intermittent screaming. She followed the increasingly congested traffic to a circle of cars completely devoid of drivers. There were children sprawled out in the road preventing any vehicle from getting through. Sirens wailed in the distance signaling eventual police arrival. In the center of the ring of cars and children stood a tall, spindly figure. Ladybug couldn’t see more than a tightly fitted dark blue robe from so far away.

The spaces in between buildings increased as Ladybug drew closer, prompting her to lengthen her jumps. When she threw out her yo-yo, she lifted herself high off the ground, arching her back so her head and feet curved towards each other, pressing her hips out. Her yo-yo twisted around a far away object and Ladybug shot forward. Swinging her legs from behind her body to her front in a piked position, her momentum pushed her farther than usual. The building she landed on was directly above what she assumed was the akuma, so Ladybug tossed her yo-yo onto a nearby lamp pole to let herself down gracefully.

Once on the ground, she could better see the villain. An old man with a crooked nose and a long, white beard stood before her. His back was marginally hunched over, shoulders sagging inwards. The blue robe clutched at his skinny frame, but drooped over his arms. Golden thread weaved itself around the body of the cloth. At the front of the costume, the fibers danced over his chest to create an old-fashioned clock. On his side, stitched in a strange silver thread, a large pocket slouched as if supporting a heavy weight. Though his body faced Ladybug, the rowdy children held his attention.

Ladybug took a step closer and one of the children giggled in delight. A young boy ran up to her and loudly asked is she was Ladybug. The akuma’s gaze instantly flicked to her, and Ladybug stifled a scream of her own. His eyes were gone. In their place were small analogue clocks, glowing brightly. The sight caused a shiver to snake its way down Ladybug’s spine, and she pulled her own eyes away from the monster’s.

Feeling a pull on her leg, Ladybug suddenly remembered the young boy at her side. She picked him up and ran him to a building on the opposite side of the street.

She bent down so that her face was level with his. “Do you know where your parents are?”

The boy frowned as if in deep concentration. “I don’t….I don’t think I have any.”

Startled, Ladybug said “Oh! Well, um, don’t move from this spot, okay? Just…uh….stay out of the way of the akuma, okay?” He nodded happily in response.

Running back to the villain, Ladybug was shocked to see even more young children than there were before she left. One police car was finally able to get through the traffic. A large, red-headed man that Ladybug recognized as Sabrina’s dad burst out the car door already yelling furiously at the akuma. The old man merely smiled. With a flick of his wrist, an eerie blue-black mist swirled into the air that separated the akuma from the officer. It enveloped him before melting away, leaving behind a confused child. The child immediately began to cry.

“Hush now,” the old man began in a soporific voice. “Father Time is here for you, child.”

Ladybug looked around the circle in understanding. Almost all of the children present had once been adults. Hiding behind a car, she noticed a desperate Alya holding her phone in her right hand, trying to get footage for the Ladyblog, and a very young child wrapped in her left arm. Alya bounced the child up slightly to get better purchase under the his bottom.

Ladybug ran to the girl. “What happened here?”

Alya hung her head down embarrassment. “I ran out to film the attack, but my friend insisted on going with me. We were here right as it started, and didn’t even know what the old guy could do. He raised his hands and let out that freaky mist at me, and my friend tried to tackle me to the ground before it could touch me. It got him instead.”

Looking closer at the child, Ladybug noticed his brown, puppy-dog eyes and dark, smooth skin. He had on a blue shirt and a red hat that was much too large for his head. It tipped off to the side, covering one of his ears and half his face. 

“Ladybug!” He squealed happily, and she had to laugh at how cute Nino was. She thought about the last time he was this age. She remembered that he used to like to pull on her pigtails and made sure to keep her hair far out of reach.

“Did the mist somehow skip over his hat?” Ladybug asked Alya.

“It flew off his head when he tackled me. He saw it after being turned into a kid and screamed until I ran out from behind the car to get it for him. I don’t understand his obsession with it.”

Ladybug laughed. “Well, you should take a picture of him. He’s really adorable.” 

Ladybug rolled away from the car, back to the akuma. She tried clearing people out of his path, but both the children and adults refused to listen to her. Just as she was getting frustrated, Chat Noir dropped in.

Skipping formalities, Ladybug said “His hands release a mist. It turns people into children.”

“Oh, you have got to be _kid_ din’ me,” he said cheekily.

Ignoring his jokes, Ladybug continued “I don’t know where the akuma is. His name’s Father Time, though, and he has a bunch of clocks on him. So, maybe a watch somewhere?”

“Then he better _watch_ out, his time’s about to run short.”

Ignoring him, Ladybug sprang into action. She jumped in front of the akuma, catching his attention once again. Though he was an old man, he could move quickly. Charging her, he ran with his hands outstretched, releasing his mist. Ladybug dodged out of the way by throwing her yo-yo onto the corner of a building and swinging in a large arch. The mist stretched over the now empty spot, losing its deep color as it spread thinner, eventually dissipating completely.

Father Time quickly lost interest in the heroes, instead looking to the new adults that had gathered around to watch the destruction. He released a large ball of mist, enough to encompass a small truck. It slid out amongst the crowd, capturing all of the adults in the area and turning them into children of various ages.

“Run people! Get out of the way!” Chat yelled. He ran to gather as many people as he could and move them behind cars and buildings.

When he noticed Chat Noir’s actions, Father Time let out an annoyed groan. “Such disrespect for your elders. It’s time you went back to basics and relearned your manners.” He released his mist at an unsuspecting Chat just as Ladybug was about to call her Lucky Charm. 

She only got out “Lucky Ch-“ before she dived in front of Chat, pushing him to the ground. The mist coated her body as an object fell from the sky.

“What are you doing?!” Chat cried, holding Ladybug as her body grew small and her eyes widened in wonder. Her pigtails became fluffier and were held in place by two pink bows. She was still dressed in her Ladybug costume, but her tiny hands kept grabbing at the material, pulling it far off her body, and laughing when it snapped back in place. Chat carefully rolled them both behind a car to stay out of the way of the akuma’s wrath.

“Ladybug, what did you do?” Chat moaned to himself.

The little girl immediately stopped playing with her suit and stared at Chat. “Ladybug?” she said in delight “Who’s Ladybug? I’m Mari-” Chat Noir’s hand covered her mouth, cutting off her words.

“No, shhh, that’s okay,” he tried to appease her.

She giggled beneath his hand before pushing it off her face. “Silly kitty!” she shouted in glee.

Chat finally took note of the ladybug-printed item lying beside their hiding spot. It was a children’s toy. Mounted on a wooden block, a thick wire twisted in a spiral out of the wood, and sloped back down. It was adorned with large beads of varying shapes and colors. Chat definitely recognized it from doctor’s visits. It was a waiting room toy. 

“Crap, how is this ever going to be useful?” he wondered.

Peeking his head out from behind the car, Chat startled at how close Father Time had gotten to them. The akuma released the mist in Chat’s direction, so Chat extended his baton and vaulted out of the area, Lucky Charm item held tightly in his left hand.

Father Time gave up on Chat Noir and turned his attention to the baby Ladybug.

“Hello, little darling,” he said in a gravelly low voice.

Ladybug tried to step back in fear, but instead fell on her butt. “He-hello.”

“You have such exquisite earrings, child. Would you mind if I had a look?”

“I gu-guess not,” she stuttered out, clearly frightened but unwilling to seem rude.

Reaching his hands out to the jewels, he said “Thank you, dear.”

Chat Noir realized his own mistake. Ladybug couldn’t protect herself as a child.

“Cataclysm!” Chat said, calling his destructive power. He touched the wooden block the toy rested upon and watched the base crumble away. He dumped the beads off the end of the toy into his hands and tossed them one at a time at the akuma.

“Hey!” Chat yelled as a green bead _plinked_ off the top of the Father Time’s head. “I’ll keep _clock_ ing you if you don’t leave her alone!”

The akuma paused for a moment, but didn’t turn to look at Chat Noir. Chat took the opportunity and straightened the stiff wire. He bent the toy into a long cable, twisting the end up to create a tiny hook. 

Chat jumped on top of a car so he could be above Father Time. The silver threaded pocket on his side seemed out of place, and since Chat had no other leads, he dangled the wire down into the pocket. He poked it around the spacious pouch until he hit something solid. Father Time finally took notice of the hero’s ministrations and swiveled around to face the cat, covering his pocket with his hand. The akuma was too late, Chat had already hooked the wire around a loop in the top of the object and pulled it out.

“A pocket watch. Of course.” Chat threw it against the ground, smashing it to pieces. As it broke, a black butterfly fluttered out. 

“Oh shit!” Chat cursed as he realized he couldn’t let it get away. What was he supposed to do? Could he tear it to shreds with his claws? Step on it? Enclose it?

The butterfly continued to fly away, so without any extra thought, Chat leaped off the car and cupped it in his hands tightly. With the akuma’s release, Father Time disappeared and in his place stood a tired, confused man. He slouched to the ground and young Ladybug ran over to him.

“Are you okay, monsieur?” she asked earnestly.

“I don’t know what’s happened. How did I get here?”

Instead of answering him, Ladybug squished her arms around him in the kind of all-encompassing hug only a child can give. The elderly man stiffened for a second before relaxing into the affection.

Chat walked up to the pair and gently tapped Ladybug’s shoulder with his elbow. He hated to ruin the moment, but the butterfly was restless against his palms. It kind of tickled, actually.

“Ladybug?” he said softly “Could you help me?”

She looked up at him, confusion in her bright blue gaze. “Huh? How?” she asked.

“Do you see that yo-yo on your hip? Take it out and run the back of your finger in a straight line along its center.”

She did as she was told and the the yo-yo’s face split in half to reveal a shining white light. “Like this?”

“Purrfect.”

She laughed loudly at his joke. “Kitty!” she squealed.

Chat smiled. At least _someone_ appreciated his humor. “Have you ever caught a butterfly before?” he asked her.

“Um I dunno? I don’t renember.”

“It’s easy! Just try to catch the butterfly with the white part of the yo-yo.” Chat said a silent prayer that little Ladybug could handle it.

“Okay!” she yelled happily. “But…where’s the butterfly?”

“I’m about to release it. Get ready.” Chat opened his hands and the black butterfly flew out.

Ladybug ran after it, twirling the yo-yo in a circle like a horse wrangler. She threw the circle of light in the akuma’s direction and trapped it within the glow. The yo-yo’s ladybug print shell closed around the akuma, stifling the white light. Pulling on the string to twist the yo-yo back into her grip she jumped in pure, childish joy. “J’t’ai eu!”

“Good job!” Chat praised her. “Now, press on the center spot, and watch a white butterfly come out.”

She followed his directions and watched in wonder as the insect flew away. “Pretty butterfly,” she complimented.

“I have just one more thing for you to do,” Chat said handing Ladybug the wire he used to hook onto the pocket watch. “Throw this into the air and yell ‘Miraculous Ladybug!’”

“Miraculous Ladybug?” she questioned “Why?”

Chat paused. He wasn’t entirely sure himself. “Because…because ladybugs are lucky, and we need them to fix this situation.”

The girl looked skeptically at Chat, but did as he said. The magical pink and red light flooded the scene as a swarm of ladybugs rushed to correct the damage. Almost all of the children in the area morphed into adults. The light swirled around little Ladybug’s frame, leaving a teenager in her place.

“Wha-what happened?” she asked.

“You could say we were just killin’ time,” Chat said with a smirk. Ladybug was not amused. “It’s a long story,” he continued “And we’re about to run out of time.” He gestured to her beeping earrings.

She touched her ears reflexively and said “I guess I’ll be going then.”

“No, wait. I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” Chat said, thinking about how Ladybug jumped into the mist to protect him.

“We’ll do this another time, Chien Noir.” And with that she threw her yo-yo and leapt off in the direction of her home.

Chat couldn’t let his Lady get away again. She couldn’t risk herself the way she did today. They were lucky this villain only turned her into a child, it could have been so much worse. What if she had disappeared? Chat Noir couldn’t do anything to cleanse an akuma.

Extending his baton so that he could run on building roofs, Chat sprinted in the direction of the bakery. He felt bad using his knowledge of her secret identity, but they needed to talk before Papillon akumatized another victim. Chat couldn’t let this happen again.

He landed on her rooftop right after she did. He rushed inside her room before she could close the door, and fell onto her bed with a thud.

“Chat, get _out_ ,” Ladybug whined halfheartedly. “I know we need to talk, I know! But I don’t even remember half of what happened back there. Just give me some time!”

“I’m not going to let you risk your life for me like that again,” Chat said calmly. “You pushed me out of the way of that mist. We need to talk about this because you have to know that’s not okay. We can’t function as a team like that.”

“You jump in front of me all the time!” she countered.

“I can’t cleanse akumas. I can’t cure everything. It’s my job to protect you, that’s how our team works.”

Ladybug slouched on herself, defeated. She knew he was right.

“I just…I saw it coming for you and all I could think about was saving Adrien.”

He softened his tone. “You don’t have to save Adrien. Chat Noir can take care of him.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t want us to know each other’s identities! It makes us completely out of synch. I can’t do this knowing the boy I love is in trouble!” She froze at her words.

All was silent save for Chat’s sharp intake of breath. “The…the boy you love?” he questioned.

All she could do was nod her head in response.

“Then why wouldn’t you talk to me?” he asked softly. “I’ve been going crazy thinking you were disappointed that Chat Noir is Adrien.”

“Disappointed? How could I…” she trailed off as her eyes filled with tears. “I could never be disappointed in you. I just…couldn’t handle it. My partner, the boy who’d been flirting with me for months, turned out to be the same boy I’d been crushing on since the second day he arrived. You just seemed so different, I couldn’t reconcile the two of you. And how could I not have seen it? I thought I knew you so well. And then I realized I love you both, but I’d already pushed you away so hard, I didn’t know how to fix any of it. I thought of hundreds of ways to apologize, but nothing felt right.” She was sobbing by this point, her body hunched over and shaking. “I’m so sorry, Chat. Adrien. I’m so sorry I’m such an emotional mess. I bet you thought Ladybug was stronger than this, but really I’m just helpless.” Ladybug lifted her head and bore her watery blue eyes into his green ones. “I never meant to hurt you. Please, know that I care about you so much. I can’t believe I’ve been so blind.”

“I know, I know,” he said trying to console her.

She didn’t listen to him. She curled her body into a ball on her sheets and laid her head on the pillows. She continued to cry, soft wails wracking her body. She had been sobbing so hard, Chat hadn’t heard the final warning beeps from her earrings. Her transformation released and left in its place a tired, weeping girl.

Chat released his transformation and placed a hand on her shoulder. Softly he murmured “I love you too, Marinette,” and curled his body around hers.

He stroked a hand down her arm in a soothing pattern, lulling her to sleep. As her breathing evened out, Adrien tumbled over the edge of consciousness as he snuggled against her back.


	4. A Purrfect Freakout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is not a morning purrson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry I’ve been gone for over a month! I had planned to update this before moving in since I knew it would take a lot of my time, but my computer crashed and I lost the entire chapter. Which, honestly, was probably pretty fortunate because this chapter is now completely different than it was originally and the original sucked. It’s not too heavy on plot (have any of these chapters been heavy on plot?) but more of that should be coming soon. Sorry again for the wait. I also underestimated how much time school takes up :/  
> Thanks for sticking with this! I promise to continue to update and respond to comments and I love you all (so much) for reading!

A light tap on Marinette’s nose gently woke her.

“Five more minutes,” Marinette mumbled, sinking farther into the warm mess draped across her back.

The tap became a smooth sweep across her cheek, accented by a high pitched voice asking Marinette to open her eyes.

Marinette became fully awake when the warm weight encompassing her frame jolted away from her, banged against the wall loudly, and let out a muffled “Holy crap!”

She flopped onto her back, turning her head to see what had caused the noise. Seeing her blond-haired dream boy, her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a shrill yelp.

“Don-don’t freak out!” Adrien whisper yelled, reaching to soothingly touch Marinette’s shoulder.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Marinette said, not bothering to keep her voice low. “There is no way I am _not_ going to freak out right now.”

Tikki swirled back in front of Marinette’s face and tried to calm the girl. “It’s okay Marinette, you were so exhausted yesterday. Adrien just stayed behind to make sure you were okay.”

Hands shot out to shield the front of her head from Adrien’s view, and Marinette stumbled down the steps to the main level of her room. Adrien desperately kept pace behind her, reaching out his arms to surround Marinette’s body in case she were to fall. His extended limbs pitched him off balance as he reached the final stair. Taking a grace step to try to right himself, Adrien tripped over Marinette’s mannequin, knocking it to the ground and rumpling the pieces of her newest creation that were haphazardly pinned together. He landed face down on the floor. Without stopping to check on him, Marinette continued to race to her bathroom, hands covering her face. Tikki dove into the bathroom behind Marinette, just as the door slammed closed.

“Smooth move.” Plagg commented, landing delicately on Adrien’s shoulder.

“Shut up. This is because of you and your bad luck.” Adrien huffed, turning his head so his words weren’t muffled by the floor. 

“Calm down, princess,” Plagg mocked, hopping off his charge. “She’s fine. Just taken off guard.”

“Or, she can’t stand the thought of being near me.”

“How stupid can you be?” Plagg said callously. “Was your head not all there when she said she loves you? Did you think that was some sort of dream sequence? Do you have dementia?”

“Plagg, I’m serious! She was emotional and vulnerable and maybe she didn’t know what she was saying. I don’t know if she feels for me what I feel for her…”

“Hmm, I wonder how you could find out.” Plagg started, sarcasm dripping off his every word. “Mind reading? No, not yet. Analyzing her every movement and driving yourself insane?” Plagg floated in front of Adrien’s nose, causing the boy’s eyes to cross. “Probable. But, maybe there’s a better way.” Plagg lightly pushed on the edge of Adrien’s nose, smushing the skin up into his face. “Maybe, you could try, I don’t know, talking to her? Rational conversation?”

Swatting the kwami away from his face, Adrien groaned in frustration. “What do you think it is I’m trying to do! I wanted to talk. She ran into the bathroom.”

“You did wake her up pretty suddenly.”

“It’s not like I meant to bang myself against her wall.”

“Then why did it happen?” Plagg said, exasperated.

“I guess I heard Tikki trying to wake her up and then I shot awake and--and I never even meant to fall asleep here in the first place.” Adrien scooted his knees under his torso and picked his body off the floor. He hauled the mannequin up from where it dejectedly laid. “She seemed so upset and lonely.” He began to pace around her room anxiously. “I needed to feel her. Make sure she was okay.”

“Well, she’s not okay now.”

Adrien’s fingers plunged into his hair, curling around the strands and pulling roughly. “But why? What did I do?”

“Nothing.”

Fingers slipping from his locks, Adrien stopped pacing and turned to Plagg, his eyebrows raised in question.

“Nothing,” Plagg reiterated “she just has to deal with her own feelings. Sans crazy cat boy.”

“But for how long?” Adrien asked with a sigh, dropping heavily onto Marinette’s chaise, his shoulders bouncing on firm furniture.

“Would you like some cheese with that whine?”

Adrien groaned and rolled over, turning his head into the decorative pillow. He stayed still for a moment, his stiff muscles relaxing as a delicious smell filled his nose. It was refreshingly light and sweet, reminding him of barely blooming flowers and warm pastries. He let his mind wander as the scent devoured his senses, torturing him.

“If I” 

Sniff

“could just” 

Sniff 

“talk” 

Sniff

“to her”

Sniff.

“Are you crying, Chaton?”

Adrien shot up from the chaise, his cheeks flaming.

“N-no!” he stuttered, trying to remain upright as his balance threatened to fail him again. Marinette reached out a hand to steady him, grasping his forearm gently. The touch shot sparks up through Adrien’s skin, making him stiffen abruptly. Misreading his movements as a cringe, Marinette dropped her hand from him, taking a step back.

“I’m sorry,” she said, bowing her head slightly.

Adrien was quick to take a step forward and recover the distance Marinette had put between them. “Don’t be.” 

His hand hovered over her shoulder in hesitation. Without looking up, Marinette lightly placed her own hand on the back of his, guiding the pair down to her shoulder.

“I don’t know why I keep running away,” Marinette started “but I know I can’t keep doing it.” She looked up at him then, her eyes shining as a pool of tears filled them. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Adrien pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her back and a hand along her neck. “Thank god,” he breathed, inhaling the scent he tried to steal from her pillows moments before.

After taking a second to collect herself, Marinette fell into the warmth of Adrien’s embrace. Her arms wound around his waist, clutching at the back of his jacket. “I’m so, so sorry,” she repeated incessantly until the words became garbled and the sounds lost precision.

“Shh,” Adrien cooed “It’s okay, My Lady.”

Mustering her courage, Marinette’s hands found Adrien’s chest and she pushed herself from his body. His arms released themselves from around her frame, but Marinette’s hands still burrowed themselves in the front of his jacket, tethering her to him. “It’s not okay, Adrien.”

Tilting his head in confusion, Adrien more closely resembled a curious dog than a cat. “What’s not okay?”

“The way I’ve been acting.” She dropped her head to his chest and took a deep breath before continuing. “Waking up with you…it was just overwhelming. I wasn’t prepared for it.”

“How could you have been prepared?” Adrien asked, his breath blowing over the top of her hair and curling over her ears. She shivered.

“I don’t…I don’t really know, I guess. Everything was so intense last night.” Adrien’s hand began to gently stroke along the top of Marinette’s head, begging her to relax. “I didn’t want you to look at me this morning and realize you made a mistake.”

“To be fair,” Adrien said “I did make a mistake in banging against the wall and waking you up.”

“Shut up, I’m being serious,” Marinette groaned out.

“I am too!” he laughed. “I already know that you are _not_ a morning person.”

“It still wasn’t your fault. All I could imagine was you looking at my tear-stained face or noticing my morning breath and running for the hills.”

Adrien’s hand stopped instantly. “What?” he asked incredulously. 

Though Marinette tried to bury her head farther into his chest, Adrien placed both of his hands against her shoulders and pushed her off of his body. He caught her chin by his fingertips, and tilted her head up so his eyes could search her face. “Did you run into the bathroom to put on makeup, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

She mumbled a response.

“What was that?” he asked stubbornly.

“And to brush my teeth,” Marinette reluctantly repeated, eyes refusing to meet his.

“No fair!” Adrien’s hand shifted from her chin to cup her jaw. “I am still a disgusting pile of morning breath trash, and you got to brush your teeth? You don’t play by the rules.”

A smile slowly spread across her face and Adrien had to consciously remind himself to keep his knees bent for fear of them buckling and causing him to fall over. 

“I make the rules, kitten,” she said tauntingly, her finger reaching out to playfully tap his nose. It wrinkled automatically at the touch, his eyes crinkling and mouth scrunching up. Marinette let her fingers lightly press into his face, smoothing out the skin along his eyes, and delicately feeling the edges of his lips. Though Adrien wanted nothing more than to relax and fall into her touch, he held himself still, as if he were being painted. They quietly stood together for a moment, each basking in the uncomplicated presence of the other. 

“While you two continue to not speak, would someone mind feeding me?” Plagg called out from behind Adrien’s shoulder.

Marinette startled at the sound, her face widening in shock.

“You couldn’t let them have their moment?” Tikki asked as she popped up from behind the chaise and furiously flew to Plagg’s side.

“This is Plagg,” Adrien introduced sourly. “My kwami.”

“Wow, what a stunning introduction. There are tears in my eyes. I cannot control my emotional response to your kind words.” Plagg flew closer to Marinette, positioning himself directly in front of her face.

“He’s so…” Marinette started, taking in the small creatures cat-like features and glowing green eyes “…cute.” She held her hand out to cup the kwami. “He’s really adorable, holy crap.” She rubbed his head with her fingertips and he pushed himself fully into her palm.

“It gets old fast,” Adrien grumbled.

“Like you would know anything about being cute.” Plagg said, sticking his tongue out at the blond boy.

Ignoring their banter, Marinette focussed on taking care of the kwami. “What does he eat?” 

“Cheese. Mostly camembert, but he’ll take anything you’ve got.”

“Huh. So I finally get an explanation. I’ll be right back,” she promised, walking to the trap door.

“An explanation for what?” Adrien asked, following her.

“An explanation for why you always smell,” Marinette giggled. Adrien frowned at her response, thinking of ways he could get back at his kwami for giving him a distinct odor, but his thoughts stopped immediately when Marinette’s palm pressed into his chest. “You can’t follow me,” she admonished. “I’d have no excuse for why you’re here. I’d have to tell my parents you spent the night, and I can guarantee that would not go over well.”

“Oh! Sorry,” Adrien sheepishly bowed his head, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. “I forget that your parents see you all the time during the day. Notice the things you do.”

Marinette slowly turned her body to fully face Adrien. She grabbed the hand that still hung at his side, squeezing it. “You’re going to know what that’s like soon enough, Chaton.” She stared into his eyes intensely before looking down at their clasped hands. She rubbed her thumb swiftly across his knuckles before releasing it and turning on her heel to exit down the stairs.

Adrien felt a warmth spread up through his arm, making his skin tingle. He reflexively smiled. Feeling almost light-headed, he backed away from her door and promptly sat in Marinette’s pink swivel chair. Grabbing hold of the edge of the desk, Adrien twisted the chair so it faced the opposite wall, while his hands still grasped the desk, stretching his arms out to keep his body connected to the table. Pulling his body and the chair back to face the desk, Adrien’s arms launched the chair into a tight spiral. He pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs. He tucked his head down, making his body into a ball so that his spin was fast and smooth with little air resistance to slow him down. 

After slowing to a stop, Adrien dropped his feet to the ground, revving up for round two. As he placed his hands on the edge of the desk, his knuckles hit into a picture frame, knocking it to the ground. Though his reflexes were sharp, he couldn’t catch the frame before it landed facedown on the floor. Letting out a quiet curse, Adrien reached down to grab the picture. His thoughts scattered when he flipped it over and became trapped in his own stare. It was a framed picture of himself. Caught off guard, he tried to stabilize the picture so it stood on Marinette’s desk without the support of the back wall, but his hands shook too much. Giving up, Adrien laid the frame face up on the tabletop before becoming unnerved by his own stare and flipping it over.

Adrien averted his eyes from the frame, trying to look at anything else in her room. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed the numerous magazine clippings from his photo shoots that lined her walls. His gaze trailed over each image, scrutinizing his carefully created emotions. His posed jubilee and pensiveness. From a perfectly insincere smile, to a head bowed in mock thought, to a hint of smirk with a quirked eyebrow that masked his intense distaste. It was a wall full of his greatest hits. Highlights of every bit of his modeling career.

He was so wrapped up in looking at the pictures, he didn’t hear Marinette until she began to speak while climbing up the last few stairs to the room.

“So, we didn’t have any camembert, but I brought up cheese bread. It only came out of the oven a few minutes ago, so it’s still pretty hot.” She stopped once she took the first step into the room, her eyes scanning for the cat kwami. “Where’s Plagg?”

Swooping in front of her outstretched arm, Plagg grabbed the cheese bread off the plate in her left hand, scampering into the far corner. Tikki also came out of hiding, carefully taking a chocolate chip cookie off plate held in Marinette’s opposite hand and offering small thank you.

“I thought maybe you might be hungry so I brought us up a plate of macarons. I don’t know if you like macarons, but I didn’t know what else to get and I can always go back downstairs and get something else if you’d like,” Marinette rambled.

“Oh, um, thanks,” Adrien said distractedly, not comprehending what she’d told him.

Pivoting the chair around so he faced Marinette, Adrien asked “Do you really like my father’s designs?”

“He’s um, yes, I do. He’s my favorite designer,” Marinette mumbled, embarrassed.

“So, that’s why there’s all these…?” Adrien trailed off, but turned the chair so he faced the pictures of him that lined her wall.

Marinette almost dropped the plates she was holding, only remembering at the last second to place them on her desk. She flew in front of Adrien, trying to shield him from seeing her shrine, while forcefully ripping the magazine clippings down. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have put these back up,” Marinette muttered to herself, frustrated. She tried to quickly shove the pictures into a drawer, but they bunched together in her haste, preventing the drawer from closing. “Come on, come on,” she chanted under her breath, her movements speeding up as she became more desperate to distance herself from the photos.

At first, Adrien could not understand Marinette’s behavior. She really liked his father’s designs. That was understandable. She was an aspiring designer, and Gabriel Agreste was one of the best in the world.

He watched her fall over herself trying to rid the wall of its decorations.

Her movements were frantic, her breathing ragged, her eyes flitting around nervously. She avoided his gaze and he snapped to a moment of realization.

“Those weren’t because of my father.” Though it wasn’t a question, Adrien still waited for Marinette’s small nod before continuing. “Those were because of me.” She nodded again, still refusing to meet his eyes, even as he bore holes into the back of her head.

A slow smile spread across his features, his eyes lighting up and crinkling around the edges. “You have a crush on me,” he sing songed.

Marinette turned her head to face him, confused at his playful tone.

“How embarrassing,” he continued, letting his voice drop in pitch. Marinette’s face instantly flamed.

Adrien stood up from the chair, closing the semblance of space between the two. Marinette’s back instantly straightened at the proximity. She tilted her chin up to meet Adrien eye-to-eye, refusing to back down from him.

“It’s okay,” he said, eyes softening. His cheeks pinkened lightly. “I have a crush on you too.” He lifted his hand to sheepishly tug on the ends of his hair that curled at the back of his head.

Sucking in a breath, Marinette’s eyes grew wide and her head spun. She couldn’t move her mouth.

Adrien’s shoulders slouched forward and he tipped his head down, eyes falling to the floor.

“Could I, maybe…Would it be alright if I…d-do you think I could…Can I kiss you?” His eyes hesitantly sought her own.

Marinette’s heart soared, but she forced herself to stomp down the excitement. “I don’t thi—no”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” Adrien tried to back away from Marinette, forgetting the chair behind him. Tripping, he accepted his fate of falling on his butt in front of Marinette when he was caught and steadied. 

His ‘thank you’ caught in his throat.

“Adrien. Do you actually have a crush on me?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation.

“No, I mean, do you really like me? Or just Ladybug?”

“You’re not making any sense.” He shook his head with confusion. “You _are_ Ladybug. You can’t just pull them apart like that.”

“But we’re so different. You had no idea I was Ladybug, right? You never even considered your clumsy classmate, who couldn’t even string a full sentence together in front of you, was the strong, independent Ladybug.” Her last three words were filled with contempt.

“You didn’t want me to look! You asked to keep our identities secret. And you didn’t notice that Chat Noir was sitting right in front of you, either.”

“But I didn’t know I had a crush on Chat Noir. I thought it was just Adrien. I didn’t know that I should have been looking…” she trailed off, her head dipping in concentration.

“So, we’re both clueless,” the corner of his mouth turned up unexpectedly.

She laughed lightly. “Fair enough. But, Adrien, I’m serious. If you’re not sure you like Marinette as much as Ladybug, you don’t have to pretend to. I’m giving you an out. You didn’t sign up for this. For me.” She could feel tears gathering in her eyes. “Chat Noir’s been flirting with Ladybug for so long, but you don’t need to feel like you’re locked into this.” The heel of her palm pressed against the bottom of her right eye, patting down on the tears that dared spill down her cheek.

“Marinette,” Adrien lightly tugged on her wrist, pulling her hand from her face. “I like you. All of you. Mask or no mask.”

Marinette almost forgot to breathe.

“Now, there’s only one question left. Do you like the annoying cat boy as much as the classmate?”

“Oh god, yes.”

Marinette reached her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down so his face lined up with hers. She paused. Having made her intentions clear, she let him take the final step as their mouths breathed in sync, only centimeters apart.

“Don’t hold out on me, Purrincess.”

Their lips touched, and Marinette couldn’t care less about berating him for his poor pun. Her mouth felt tingly and her spine threatened to turn to rubber as the light touch became firmer, warming her lips. Adrien caught her around the waist, tugging her closer to him. With the length of their torsos pressed together completely, Marinette could feel the rapid beat of Adrien’s heart, and her stomach fluttered with the knowledge that she made him feel exactly as excited and nervous as she was. 

Adrien tilted his head forward, deepening the kiss with more pressure. In retaliation, Marinette opened her mouth just enough to sweep her tongue gently along his bottom lip. Adrien’s knees buckled at the touch, his arms tightening around her for support. He parted his lips and let her tongue dip into his mouth. The touch was light, almost tickling. Too afraid of messing up, Adrien let Marinette take the lead. He matched her movements, tracing her tongue hesitantly as it explored his mouth. Her body shivered, and Adrien lifted his hands to her shoulders, his touch warming her.

Marinette’s hands crept up to Adrien’s neck, and she toyed with the hair curling atop his shirt collar. Adrien felt a pleasant itching sensation all through his body, and a small noise buzzed from the back of his throat. Encouraged by his response, Marinette twined her fingers through the soft strands. Her movements ruffled his hair, furthering his bed-head look and pulling him away from the picture perfect model she’d torn down from her walls. His head pushed into her hands, body arching under her touch. When her thumb swept behind his ear, a low vibration pulled from his stomach and rumbled out.

Marinette’s fingers stilled. She pulled her mouth from his, eyes widening as she peered at Adrien’s furiously blushing face. She gathered a deep breath, steadying her runaway heart.

“Did you just purr?”


	5. Kittens Gotta Scratch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just teenagers being teenagers. And fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I am so sorry.
> 
> Things that have happened since I last posted a chapter:  
> -a bunch of holidays  
> -the ML christmas special  
> -the first ML webisode  
> -the entirety of Yuri on Ice  
> -several other popular ML fanfics posted new chapters  
> -season four of Please Like Me  
> -the American presidential election
> 
> I've had many goals about when I wanted to actually post this chapter, but my most recent goal was to get it out before the presidential inauguration. Phew. Success.
> 
> I'm truly sorry for the lateness. The chapter just wasn't coming out right. I still hope you can enjoy it.

_“Did you just purr?”_

“Uhh…no?” Adrien tried, his shoulders bunching up as he wished he could Cataclysm himself. His eyes were still dazed from their kiss, his lips tingling deliciously. He knew he was compromised, but he had to keep some semblance of normalcy. _Deny deny deny._

Marinette set her jaw determinedly. “Sit,” she commanded.

“Since when do cats take directions?”

“Since I started making out with them. Now, sit.”

Adrien didn’t know it was possible for more blood than there already was to rush to his cheeks.. Without any preamble, he dutifully plopped down on Marinette’s rolling chair. 

“Now, Chaton, don’t lie to me.” Marinette placed her hands on Adrien’s shoulders, bending at the waist to lean forward so their eyes were level. “I’m not going to make fun of you. Did you just purr?”

“I think so? Maybe…erm I don’t know,” Adrien stumbled.

“I know a way we could find out.”

Knowing instantly what she was planning, Adrien tilted his head down, offering his hair to her. “Explore away.”

Marinette paused for a few seconds, trying to curb her enthusiasm. She delicately placed a hand on the top of his head, patting gingerly.

Adrien pushed his head into her hand making an exaggerated “mrow” sound. Snatching her hand off his hair and placing it on her cocked hip, Marinette met Adrien’s teasing face with a look of annoyance.

“Come on, Marinette. _Really_ pet me. What cats like to be bopped on the head?”

Marinette groaned, recognizing that he was right.

“Yeah, I get it, okay.” She again lifted her hand to his head. Instead of planting it on the top of his swooped locks, she focused on the side. The tips of her fingers found the place where hair met ear. She rubbed behind his ear gently with her thumb, before slowly pushing two fingers through his golden strands. Adrien shuddered at the sensation, his eyes falling closed.

Realizing it would take more to pull a purr from him, Marinette upped the ante.

Marinette trailed a single finger down Adrien’s hair part. When she reached the section that widened into a swirl, she added all of her fingers, and gently spread them through his locks as far as they could stretch. Favoring the right side of his part, Marinette lightly scratched her nails along Adrien’s scalp. With her opposite hand, she following the first, but brushed the pads of her fingers along the lines she’d just grazed, soothing the skin.

A small rumble began in Adrien’s stomach, pulling up through his body. Marinette could feel the slight vibrations through her fingertips.

One hand continued to softly scratch the top of Adrien’s head while the other fully embedded itself in his hair, spreading out her fingers so her palm was pressed flat to his head. She nestled those fingers contentedly in his hair, threading the silky strands through her digits. She pulled her hand into a loose fist, gently tugging on his hair.

The purr that came from Adrien was so loud he snatched his head away from Marinette’s hands in shock, and stared up at her with wide eyes.

“Found it,” Marinette said, her voice lofty and warm. She put her hands back in Adrien’s hair, one hand scratching down his head while the other smoothed over the top layer of hair. The combination drew out another purr from Adrien, his body automatically melting under her touch.

Thoroughly enjoying the reactions she pulled from him, Marinette continued her soft ministrations. Her hands ventured to the back of his neck, tugging slightly on the baby hairs that covered his skin. Adrien’s vibrations deepened in pitch and he shivered as her pinky dragged down his neck and circled around his top vertebrae.

His back arched and his head fell forward, elongating his neck. Feeling encouraged, Marinette left her hand on the back of his neck, rubbing soft patterns into the taught skin. Her other hand alternated between light scratching and soft hair tugs.

Marinette was so focussed on her task, she didn’t notice Adrien’s hand coming up to rest on her waist. His purring somehow became louder and he suddenly pulled her down onto his lap.

Startled, Marinette let out a small yelp and Adrien snapped his head up.

“I-I’m so sorry, Marinette!” he started, hand jumping off of Marinette’s body as if she’d burned him. “I completely didn’t plan on doing that.” 

Marinette stared at him with wide, shining eyes. They were both still for a moment, Adrien waiting on baited breath. 

Marinette lightly looped her arms around Adrien’s frame. Afraid of letting him take all her weight, she shifted so that she sat more on his knees than his lap, allowing her legs to support her. When she leaned into him, Adrien felt destroyed by her soft, fresh scent, the light tickle of her bangs brushing his forehead, and the warm whisper of her breath that danced across his lips in the promise of a kiss.

“It’s okay,” she murmured softly. Her eyes captured his gaze. His arms, which had been hanging uselessly at his sides, came up to rest on the side’s of Marinette’s waist, as if Adrien couldn’t bear the idea of not touching her. Marinette’s hand lifted to delicately trace the edge of Adrien’s jaw. 

Startled by her cold fingers, Adrien drew in a sharp breath, marveling at how her cool fingers could still ignite a fire in his skin. Her palm cupped the side of his face, thumb sweeping along his burning cheeks.

Adrien’s eyes drooped close and his mouth parted slightly in anticipation. He could feel Marinette’s body drawing nearer to his. He felt filled with nervous energy that begged him to crush her against his chest and wrap her tightly in an embrace.

Just as he began to feel totally enveloped by her essence, a light, soft touch pressed onto the tip of his nose. He opened his eyes slowly, reveling in the small kiss Marinette placed on his nose. His arms tightened around her waist and Marinette’s hands hung loosely from his neck. Resting her forward against his, Marinette breathed in, filling her lungs with his warm scent. Her fingers toyed with the clumps of hair pressing down onto his neck.

“I don’t want you to leave,” Marinette said while pulling her head away from his. She didn’t look him in the eyes as she began fixing his disheveled appearance. She tugged his jacket forward, aligning the edges so it fell straight. Her hands smoothed out the white material over his shoulders, and she flicked up his collar so it stood proudly in its normal placement. Looking to his hair, she tried to smooth out the silky strands in vain. Her fingers had done too thorough of a job, puffing his hair into a bedhead mess. The pads of her fingers trailed down his face, and her eyes finally connected with his. He watched her closely, not taking his eyes off of hers even as her fingers smoothed over his eyebrows and swooped along the length of his nose.

“I don’t want you to leave,” Marinette repeated, “But you have to go.”

Adrien nodded, repeating “I have to go.”

“I’ll see you at school?” Marinette questioned unnecessarily.

Adrien’s lips quirked up. “I’ll see you at school.”

Marinette slowly stood, getting off of Adrien’s lap and allowing him to stand again. Adrien called out for Plagg who had been napping in a kind of cheese induced coma. Plagg yawned, stretching his body similarly to the way a cat would. He flew to Adrien’s side, burping loudly in his face.

“You’re disgusting,” Adrien said with no malice behind his words. It was clear this was a common occurrence for the pair. “Plagg, claws out!”

Marinette watched, mesmerized as Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. Tikki floated to her, landing softly on her shoulder. When his transformation finished, Chat Noir dropped to one knee, gingerly picked up Marinette’s hand, and kissed her knuckles lightly, slowly blinking his overly green eyes at her. “À bientôt, Princesse.” He climbed up her loft and winked at her, giving her a two-fingered salute. Extending his baton, he casually flung himself out of her skylight up onto the balcony, hopping away to his own home.

Marinette still hadn’t recovered from watching his transformation. Her arm hadn’t dropped from its outstretched position when Chat had kissed it. She was a statue, her body stiffly still with only her hair rustling as Tikki quickly flitted around her face trying to shake Marinette from her daze.

“Marinette?” Tikki said softly. After a moment of no response, Tikki gave up on being subtle, flinging herself at Marinette’s cheek and ricocheting off the skin like a rubber ball. Marinette’s hand jumped to her cheek, rubbing the surface in small circles while giving her kwami a sharp glare.

“Yes?” Marinette asked indignantly.

“You’re just standing there like a lovesick puppy,”

“I am not!” Marinette’s arm immediately shot back down to her side.

Tikki rolled her eyes. “Clearly.”

“I was…caught off guard, is all. I didn’t realize how amazing the transformation is.” Shyly, she asked, “Do I look like that?”

“Maybe next time, you can ask Adrien. He’s already seen it.”

“No!” she cried. Hesitantly, she continued “What if it’s not as good?”

“Would that really be a problem? Would it _really_ matter?”

Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but shut it when she realized she didn’t have a suitable answer. Groaning, she walked to her chaise and fell across it dramatically. She let out an angsty sigh before inhaling deeply, getting stray whiffs of Adrien’s lingering scent.

Rolling over to tuck her head under the pillow, Marinette said a muffled “I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.”

“You’re not seeing him tomorrow,” Tikki said.

Peeking one eye out from underneath the pillow, Marinette blankly stared at the kwami.

After a beat of silence she asked, “Why am I not seeing him tomorrow?” her tone measured and calculating, voicing each word deliberately slowly.

“You said you’d see him at school. It’s Saturday.”

“Oh, shit.”

Tikki giggled at the melodramatics. “This is a good thing, Marinette. You can get your homework done. Call Alya! Help out your parents.”

“Yeah, okay.” Marinette angled the pillow back over her entire face, hiding from her reality for a few seconds longer.

—~~—

Adrien vaulted through his window, releasing his transformation as soon as his feet touched the ground. He let out a soft cry of happiness, spinning on one foot like a graceful ballerina before falling onto his large, white couch with his arms pressed over his heart and a dazed expression overtaking his eyes.

Plagg rushed into Adrien’s field of view, placing a paw on the young boy’s nose. “Could you stop acting like a princess for two seconds? Some of us have real needs.”

“I know you don’t mean that as a compliment, but call me Chatsmine, because I’ve been swept off my feet.”

“Oh no. You poor kid. You’ve gone insane.”

“You know, like Jasmine? The Disney princess? Aladdin? Flying carpet?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been too busy being a powerful cat god to keep up on your pop culture references.”

“Plagg, come on.”

“Why is it so difficult to get some cheese around here? I turn you into a _superhero_. Where’s the gratitude?”

Adrien huffed, but grudgingly lifted himself from the comfort of his soft couch. He shot Plagg an insincere glare before walking to the side of his room and slowly walking up his spiral staircase to the second level. Dragging his index finger along the colorful spines of the books which lined his shelves, Adrien barely lifted his feet as he trudged along the pristine floors.

“I am seconds away from flying up there and shitting in your hair like a pigeon,” Plagg said from his spot perched on the arm of the couch.

Adrien stopped the perusal of his shelves and turned to rest his forearms on the translucent railing, smirking down at the little god. “Go ahead. You don’t know where I’ve hidden the cheese this time. Good luck finding it.”

“I don’t even care. I don’t deserve this kind of torture,” Plagg uttered while falling backwards from the couch’s edge onto its seat cushions.

Adrien let out a burst of air in annoyance. “Are all kwamis this dramatic?”

“I am one of a kind.”

Barking out a laugh, Adrien turned away from the railing back to the hundreds of books in his home library. “How lucky am I.”

Once Adrien reached the far edge of the shelves where the bookcase met the top of his rock climbing wall, he placed his left foot on an orange grip, lengthening his body to reach another grip with his left hand. As he hoisted himself into the air, his right foot stabilized his body by finding purchase on another orange grip. He stretched his right arm out to reach one of the top most shelves. He grabbed three books off the shelf, placing them between his torso and the wall. He squeezed himself closer to the rock climbing wall to keep the books from falling, and stretched his right arm out again to blindly feel around the newly created space.

After a moment of silence, Adrien’s hand hit his secret stash. Grinning widely, he took out a piece of camembert, and turned his head slightly to try and find Plagg.

“Catch!” Adrien called out as his only warning before flinging the stinky cheese over his shoulder in the general direction of his kwami.

“What am I, a show dog?” Plagg asked indignantly, though he still swooped through the air to catch his prize.

“If the shoe fits,” Adrien mumbled while taking the books pressed between his body and the wall and gently placing them back on his shelf. He dropped off the wall, swinging his legs slightly to the right so that he’d land directly in front of his bookcase. He giddily skipped over to his staircase and hopped back down to the first level of his room.

Humming softly to himself, Adrien waltzed around the floor.

Plagg floated over to Adrien’s bed, casually stretching out on a pillow, trying to appear uninterested in Adrien’s strange actions. “I think you may have a screw loose. What’s going on?”

Letting out a contented sigh, Adrien stopped his movements. “I just can’t wait to see Marinette tomorrow.”

“Too bad that’s not happening.”

Adrien’s voice immediately dropped. “What do you mean that’s not happening? I just fed you.”

“Did you not say you’d see her at school?” Plagg asked.

Adrien warily responded, “I did.”

Plagg smirked, leaving his spot on the bed to float in front of Adrien’s face. “And what’s today?”

A beat of silence.

Adrien’s face fell. “Please tell me it’s not Saturday.”

Plagg shot into the air above Adrien’s head. “Finally! He gets it! The boy wonder finally understands!”

“Come on, Plagg. Don’t you have any sympathy? At all? Even an inkling?”

“Will it really kill you to wait another day?”

“Yes!” Adrien practically yelled. He calmed himself before continuing. “I just...really want to see her. She’s my best friend…”

Adrien’s eyes drooped and his shoulders sagged.

Unsure how to handle the emotional boy, Plagg dropped to Adrien’s shoulder and somewhat uncomfortably placed a paw on the boy’s neck.

“Well, kid, you ain’t never had a friend like me.”

Adrien blinked. Then, his eyes grew wide in understanding. “I _knew_ you understood my reference!”

-~~-

“I can’t even call him to make plans for tomorrow! Why didn’t we think to exchange numbers? This is ridiculous!” Marinette paced around her room with an angry fervor, whipping her body around so fast at each turn that Tikki had to cling on to her pigtails since she had been tossed from her spot perched on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Marinette, it’s only been a few hours,” Tikki said, trying to soothe her anxious chosen. 

“It’s been the whole day!” Marinette interrupted 

“Can’t you just wait to see him on Monday?”

“No! Well, yes, I could,” Marinette sputtered. “But why? What’s the point?” She paused for a second, her back straightening instantly. Her face slowly morphed into that of a horrified teenage girl as she plucked Tikki off of her hair to sit in the palm of her hand. “Oh no. You think that he’ll think I’m desperate?”

“No!” Tikki immediately tried to reassure, hopping to her feet. “I’m sure he’s just as eager to see you as you are to see him.”

Marinette tossed her head back in self loathing. “Nope, he’ll definitely think I’m clingy and insane.” 

“Marinette,” Tikki said calmly while floating to Marinette’s face and placing a delicate paw on her cheek. “You’re forgetting that this is the boy who’s been flirting with you nonstop since you met. There’s no way he’ll think you’re desperate.”

“But he will think I’m clingy and insane?”

“No, but I’m starting to, “ Tikki huffed, exasperated. 

Lifting her head, Marinette cupped her kwami in one hand. “I’m sorry, Tikki. I just really wish I could see him. And I don’t want to accidentally push him away by being overeager.”

“Just be yourself,” Tikki advised while relaxing into the girl’s touch.

Marinette rolled her eyes at the kwami’s mantra and began to walk towards her desk. Tikki’s encouragement was usually comforting, but sometimes Marinette just wanted to wallow. She couldn’t always have Ladybug’s poise and confidence. Ladybug could get away with things Marinette never would be able to. Before reaching the desk, a thought popped into Marinette’s head and her steps instantly faltered. Her eyes glinted with mischief as an idea sparked in her mind.

“Hey Tikki, maybe I should just be _ourself_.”

Tikki stared at her charge in confusion.

“Tikki, spots on!”

-~~-

Adrien frowned while standing in the doorway to his room. His spine was stiff, shoulders rolled back, neck elongated in the semblance of perfect posture. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, knuckles turning white from the pressure.

Nathalie addressed him, “Missing your fencing practice yesterday was unprofessional and reflected poorly on your father’s brand.”

Adrien was grateful for the distance between him and his father’s assistant, as he was sure she would be able to hear him grinding his teeth if she stepped any closer. If he had to sit through another lecture on the importance of perfect teeth in the modeling industry, he might actually cataclysm himself on the spot.

“If you recall, there was an akuma attack yesterday. I didn’t attend my lesson out of concern for my own safety. I’m sure my father would understand.” Adrien tried to keep his tone detached rather than accusatory. He didn’t blame Nathalie for passing along his father’s message, but nevertheless a ball of anger and disappointment swelled low in his stomach.

“In the future, please make sure you call and keep me informed on your whereabouts.”

Adrien gave a curt nod at Nathalie’s request. The woman’s poised features stayed sharp, but just as Adrien was about to turn and fully enter his room, her eyes softened.

“Adrien,” she called, taking a small step closer to the boy and reaching out her arm in a comforting and welcoming gesture. “I’m glad you’re alright.” Her neck inclined, tilting her head slightly to the right as her gaze sought out his own.

Adrien paused. “Thank you, Nathalie.”

Her arm dropped and her posture straightened. She turned sharply on her heel and exited swiftly. Grabbing a deep breath, Adrien stabilized himself by placing his hand on the door frame. He waited there until the sound of Natalie’s footsteps faded into the still house.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, he stepped backwards into his room, shut the door, and leaned his forehead against it.

“I can’t do this,” he said to himself quietly.

“Sure you can, drama queen.” Plagg landed with a thump in Adrien’s thick hair.

Adrien groaned. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“‘Course you were. Otherwise, you might start seeming insane,” Plagg quipped.

Adrien tried to shake Plagg from his hair. “People talk to themselves all the time.”

“And how would you know that, Monsieur Homeschooled?”

“I watch television and movies and stuff.” Adrien picked up his head from off his door and shook it more forcefully.

Plagg stayed firmly in his spot, grabbing fistfuls of Adrien’s hair to stay rooted. “You can’t get reliable information about how to interact with other people from anime.”

“I don’t only watch anime,” he said, miffed. 

“Yeah, and I don’t _only_ eat Camembert. It might not be the sole dish, but it’s definitely your main entrée.”

“…okay, so maybe I don’t have the most valid sources…”

“Right. So stick with what you know.”

“At this point, I feel like I don’t know anything”

“That’s probably true,” Plagg agreed.

Adrien continued without acknowledging his kwami. “But you know who _doesn’t_ not know anything?” he said to himself.

“I’m not even sure I know what you just said.”

“Chat Noir.”

“Chat Noir what?”

Finally acknowledging his kwami, Adrien reiterated “Chat Noir doesn’t not know anything.”

Plagg flew right in front of Adrien’s face, peering into the boy’s eyes. “Are you having a stroke?”

“No.” Adrien blandly replied.

“Well then, maybe—“

“Plagg, claws out!”

-~~-

Ladybug glided over the roofs of Paris, barely registering each step of the cool concrete under her feet. She hopped over houses and trees, rustling the leaves as she rushed by. Her dark hair looked black in the moonlight, pigtails bobbing from each leap she took.

Adrien’s house wasn’t far from her own. Just a park away. Though she wanted nothing more than to get there as quickly as possible, she forced herself to wind around unnecessary houses, take streets that lead to nowhere, and sprint through darkened alleys. She didn’t want to risk someone seeing exactly where Ladybug came from and where she was going. Her heart pounded soundly in her chest, pushing her to sprint as quickly as possible, not allowing her to waste another second away from Adrien. Each breath she took forced air into her lungs, igniting a fire in her chest and heightening her senses.

Just as she leapt to the top of a tall building with a flattened roof only a few blocks away from Adrien’s mansion, she slammed into something. She jumped back, immediately taking a fighting stance as she prepared for the worst.

“ _Meowch_ , damn that hurt,” a voice cried while holding a hand to its cheek.

Ladybug immediately relaxed and stepped forward. “Chat?” she asked, lifting her hand to rest gently on top of the one he already had caressing the side of his face.

“Fancy running into you here, m’lady,” Chat said, quirking his lips up into a small grin but grimacing when it the movement caused pain in his face.

Ladybug dropped her hand from him after noticing his flinch, but didn’t step back from him. “Are you okay, minou?” She inclined her head, tilting it slightly to get a better look at the corner of his mouth that her head must have bumped into.

“Nothing a kiss wouldn’t fix,” he flirted.

Ladybug groaned and playfully pushed at his shoulder, forcing him to take a step away from her. He caught her wrist when she pulled her arm back from him, sliding his hand down to interlace his gloved fingers with hers.

“I was just looking for you.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Oh, really. I never would have guessed,” she sassed back.

He took a small step and turned slightly so they were now standing side-by-side, rather than facing each other. He pulled on her hand. “Let me take you for a walk.”

“A moonlit walk with the coolest cat in Paris? Sounds like a dream.” She leaned her arm firmly against his. “But, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea. I don’t know how many people we want accidentally seeing us tonight,” she sighed.

Chat squeezed her hand. “Then how about I walk you around this building? Keeps us closer to the stars anyway.”

“You make a compelling case.”

“I am very purrsuasive, Princesse,” he said in a low voice.

Ladybug laughed lightly. “Oh, no. You’ve ruined it. Just like that, the illusion of you being cool has worn off completely.”

“My Lady, you wound me.” Chat Noir placed the hand not being held by Ladybug over his heart.

“Not as badly as your puns wound me,” she snipped.

“My puns bring joy to all!”

“Sure they do, kitten. Sure.”

Cocking his hip in the semblance of impatience, Chat said “I don’t even want to take you on this walk anymore.”

Ladybug smirked, rolling her eyes. “Well, that’s a lie.”

Chat squeezed her hand again, pulling her closer to his body. “You see right through me, My Lady.”

Ladybug tried to muffle her light laugh to no avail. “Come on, minou.” Ladybug pulled on his hand. “I was promised a walk around the rooftop.”

Chat guided her around the rectangular roof, walking close to the edge so they could see the sleeping Paris below. They stayed close to each other, letting their shoulders brush as their gloved hands gently grasped each other. The soft breeze ruffled Chat Noir’s hair and Ladybug made a sound of annoyance as pieces of her bangs flew into her eyes. As the wind picked up, Ladybug shuffled closer to Chat, resting her head lightly against his shoulder. He abandoned his grip on her hand and smoothly glided an arm around her waist, anchoring the two together.

“I love being this high up.” Ladybug murmured.

“Really? You were never afraid of heights?”

“Not really. Even as a kid, Papa used to throw me up on his shoulders and parade me around. He’d pretend to topple from side to side as if he was going to drop me, and it drove Maman crazy. But I, of course, thought it was best thing ever. He’s the one who first let me up onto the balcony. Maman thought I should wait a few more years, but Papa knew how much I’d love it. He’d sneak me up there on Sunday nights after Maman went to bed. And we’d watch the airplanes fly overhead and laugh at all the cars honking below us.” Ladybug’s eyes glazed over as she lost herself in the memory. She unconsciously snuggled herself into Chat’s side, grinning.

Chat’s arm tightened around his lady. “I hope he’ll like me.”

Ladybug twisted her face up to look Chat in the eyes. “Papa? He will. He does! They both love you, actually.”

Chat blushed. “So how did your mom take it?” he asked while turning his red face away from Ladybug’s view.

“How’d she take what?”

“Your dad taking you out onto the balcony.”

Ladybug smirked. “Oh, she eventually embraced it. We decorated the place together, actually. We put up the chair and the lights and cleaned it up a bit. She even put some plants up there. Said it reminded her of her childhood. Apparently, my grandmother used to garden all the time.”

“It’s funny how your family likes plants and now you are an actual bug,” Chat teased.

Ladybug playfully shoved his shoulder. “Well I think it’s funny that you’re a model who can now literally do a catwalk.”

Chat stopped his tracks, clutching Ladybug close to him. “Be still my heart. Was that a pun?”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Ladybug groaned.

Chat pretended to be offended. “Don’t tell me how to live my life.”

Ladybug giggled and wrapped her arm around his frame. “That’s my job, kitten.”

“I don’t remember signing up for this.”

“Too bad. There’s no way out anymore. You’re stuck with me.”

“There are worse places to be stuck,” Chat said while dropping down to sit on the rooftop. Ladybug wasn’t prepared for the tug on her waist, and quickly fell on top of him with a muffled squeak. After giving her a quick smirk, Chat flopped onto his back and held his arm out in invitation. After a second’s hesitation, Ladybug gently laid down on her side next to him, reveling in his arm wrapping around her body and pulling her closer to him. The building was cold, but Ladybug could barely tell as she curled up against Chat Noir’s chest, snuggling closer to his warmth.

Smiling, Chat turned his head to face Ladybug. He lifted his neck off the concrete and softly placed a sweet kiss against her forehead. She relaxed into his touch and wrapped a spotted arm around his middle.

“There are definitely worse places to be stuck,” she repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you to all the people who are still reading. And thank you to any new readers. Your kudos, comments, and bookmarks mean the world to me. Your continued patience and support are the most amazing things.
> 
> I desperately hope the next chapter won't take so long for me to write, but I guess we'll see.

**Author's Note:**

> For more content, check me out as [jattendschaton](http://jattendschaton.tumblr.com) on tumblr! I mostly just gush about miraculous, but I'm sure we'll have a good time together :)


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